


-You're mine- (Working title, may be changed)

by 10epic_loser01



Category: Markiplier TV (Web Series), Who Killed Markiplier? (Web Series)
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship, Healthy Relationships, I want it to be inclusive to the best of my ability, I'm Bad At Tagging, It should be able to come off as you being able to put yourself in this, Letters, Lucid Dreaming, M/M, Markiplier Cinematic Universe - Freeform, Markiplier Manor, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Who Killed Markiplier?, Reader's gender is not specified, Reader-Insert, Repressed Memories, Road Trips, Slow To Update, YouTube, please let me know if I have messed up, post-wkm, thank you, x Reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:49:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 31,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28798656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/10epic_loser01/pseuds/10epic_loser01
Summary: You never believed in the spiritual side of things. You never thought it was real, but just fantasy. That was until you met him. This man was not even a person, human. It wasn't a demon, no, but more like an entity. An entity whose shell is broken, cracked. His body was always breaking. No one ever understood why his body was like that, some say this was caused by something in the early 1900s. Around 1930 is when the sightings began. You used to hear tales of this man, the man that wore a suit, his form glitching in a way not natural, a man that held such a sorrow past behind his cold, manipulative, hotheaded personality. You heard tales of this man over the internet as well.It all started on October 13th, 2018. Weird things have been happening lately, at first you think nothing of it. Then it gets worse, having strange nightmares and feels like you being followed and watched.He has chosen you.(Note: Feel free to cringe. I am sorry if the story feels rushed and hope you enjoy this story to the best of your ability toEdit from a good while later: At first the story is funky, writing is a little iffy, but as time goes on, I like to think things have improved.)
Relationships: Damien | The Mayor/Y/N | The District Attorney (Who Killed Markiplier?), Darkiplier/Reader
Comments: 6
Kudos: 18





	1. Reference Page

**Author's Note:**

> At the start of things, writing is not the greatest it could be but is somewhat okay. Sorry in advance if this story is not the best, and if I have wasted your time.

(Y/N) = Your Name  
(L/N) = Last Name  
(T/N) = Town Name  
(BF/N) = Best Friend Name  
(F/FL) = Favorite Flower

(N/N) = Nick-Name

This reference will eventually be updated if more things are added.  
Enjoy the story.


	2. (Chapter 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The start of everything.

You never believed in the spiritual side of things. You never thought it was real, but just fantasy. That was until you met him. This man was not even a person, human. It wasn't a demon, no, but more like an entity. An entity whose shell is broken, cracked. His body was always breaking. No one ever understood why his body was like that, some say this was caused by something in the early 1900s. Around 1930 is when the sightings began. You used to hear tales of this man, the man that wore a suit, his form glitching in a way not nateral, a man that held such a sorrow past behind his cold, manipulative, hotheaded personality. You heard tales of this man over the internet as well.

It was October 13th, of 2018. A Saturday, when you began to get visits from him.

You walked through the bustling sidewalks of (T/N), you were walking to the bus stop as that was your only way of travel to your job. As you walked the usual way to the bus station, you pass a tech shop. TV's were being displayed in the windows. The 'JIM news' was playing on the TVs.

"In other news, the game host, murderer who calls himself Wilford Warfstache has still not been caught and arrested, if any of you see this man, don't approach him and report him to your local police station." The reporter, Jim announced.

You glance over at the TV screen as you pass by, you have heard reports about this man for a while now. You turn your head forward once more, dodging a few bypassing people. You soon made it to your destination and sat down on the bench placed under the bus stop area, you adjust the purse/satchel that hung over your shoulder. You open your purse/satchel to grab your phone. Once you find what you are looking for you to take out your phone. You check the time.

_1:30...the bus should be here in a few._

Around fifteen minutes passed when the bus finally arrived. You glance up from whatever social media app you were using to pass the time and slid your phone back in your bag. You grab your wallet and step onto the bus paying the driver. The bus was somewhat filled with people. You grab a nearby pole and wait for the vehicle to move. Soon the bus stopped at the next station. You walked towards a small restaurant, you worked as a waitress/waiter. You enter the building walking into the back room near the kitchen, the room held different cubbies that held your work outfits. You changed into your, black pants/black knee-length skirt, white long-sleeved polo shirt with a black vest, and dark grey bowtie. Once you finish getting dressed, you grab a notepad and walk over to one of the many tables. Checking on different families, and people.

A few hours have passed, and fewer and fewer visitors have arrived. It was now around 8:45. You had to go home. You change out of your work clothes in the bathroom and fold them neatly in the assigned cubbie. You slung your bag over your shoulder and walked out of the restaurant. The street lights dimly lit the concrete below you. As you walk home you felt your phone vibrate in your purse/satchel. You pick it up seeing a text from (BF/N).

(BF is your best friend, Y is you.)

**BF – Hey I was wondering if you wanted to come to LA For a few weeks, ya know, like a vacation? You've been working a lot lately, I think you deserve a break.**

**Y – I don't know, maybe. You know I still am working on saving money to go to my dream college.**

**BF – Oh come on (N/N)! It Will be fun! Besides you have all the time in the world! Your still young you know! You're in your twenties, you need to party, go to places! Maybe even go find a Boyfriend Or girlfriend!**

You shake your head with a small chuckle at how they replied before typing:

**Y – Fine, long as I choose where we eat for lunch/dinner after we arrive.**

**BF – Great, I'll pick you up on Monday! WE can have a road trip! bring snacks, jam out to musicals/music! :D**

**Y – okay, I just need to text my boss. I-**

You stopped, it felt like someone was watching you, eyes burned in the back of your head. You were confused. You looked around out of paranoia but didn't see anyone. You felt chills run down your spine.

**Y – okay I just need to text my boss. I got to go, it feels like someone is watching me, and nobody's there...oof If I die make my room a museum based on me.**

You turned off your phone, you were joking in the text obviously, but you couldn't help but feel your stomach fill with dread. Nevertheless, you continued to walk at, a faster pace. You had now put your phone in your pocket. You still felt like you were being watched. Your heart was pounding. As you walked you could have sworn you saw something out the corner of your eye, but there was nothing.

You walk into your home hanging up your hoodie. You removed your purse/satchel off your shoulder. You kick off your shoes and place them near the door. You walk into the bathroom to take a shower before you text your boss. You flip on the bathroom light to find that it wasn't working...

_The hell?_

You sigh trying again, still with no result. Looks like you'll have to change the lightbulb. You took your phone from your pocket to use the flashlight mode. You turn the flashlight at the ceiling before you place it on the counter connected the sink, so at least you would have some light. You turn on the shower and wait for the water to heat up to your liking. You strip from your clothes and step into the shower.

You yawned tiredly once you've made it to your room, you already grabbed your phone. You had a towel wrapped around you. You slip on a baggy t-shirt, underwear, and shorts. You toss the towel into your hamper as you flop onto the bed and turn on your phone. you quickly text your boss about your vacation plans. You place your phone on your nightstand before pulling up your covers and falling asleep.


	3. (Chapter 2)

You awoke the next morning to your alarm. You slowly open your eyes feeling exhausted. You slam your fist on the alarm as you sit up, getting out of bed. You change into some more casual clothes knowing you had to pick up a pack of new light bulbs. Before you go out you grab your phone to see if your boss replied, luckily she accepted. You grab your bag, stuffing your phone in it. You leave making sure to lock the door. You make it to the supermarket walking towards the electronics section. As you walk there you feel the familiar feeling of being watched. You look around. Just people shopping. You sigh shaking your head.

_This is stupid..._

You find what you are searching for and grab it, you buy the bulbs and walk home. The uncomfortable feeling still lied in your stomach. You quickly unlock your door, having some difficulty by fumbling with the key out of nerves. You make sure to lock both the normal and higher lock. You leave your purse/satchel on your counter, walking to the bathroom to try to replace the dead bulb.

A few hours have passed and you were able to fix it. Afterward, you pack the necessities for tomorrow. You pack clothes, laptop charger, laptop, and etc. You smile to yourself proud of how many things you have accomplished. Suddenly you hear a knock at your door as you are boiling some noodles. You walk over to your door, somewhat hesitant to open it, but out of curiosity, you do so. You look to your left and right before you spot an envelope tied to a single (F/FL). You carefully pick it up. Walking back inside you check the writing on it.

_To: (Y/N) (L/N)_

_From:_

No one. You open it a small note falls out of it.

_We will meet soon darling...Hope you enjoy the flower..._

Your eyebrows furrow down, meet who?

You place the note back down on the counter and take a glance at the flower...oddly enough that was your favorite flower. You shudder before grabbing the flower and, deciding to...keep it. I know a dumb decision, but something told you to do so. Also, you didn't want the flower to go to waste. You grab a glass from your cupboard filling it up with some water before gently placing the flower in.

this should keep the flower alive a bit at least.

You carry the cup up to your bedroom, making sure not to spill water. You gently set down the glass on your bedside table. You then plug in your phone. You do your nightly routine, get showered, brush hair and teeth, change into PJs once more, and head to bed. As you fall asleep, little did you know a man stood in the middle of the empty street, watching your home? The smirk on his face never faltered. He releases a deep chuckle.

_**"A few more days.."** _


	4. (Chapter 3)

You awake early that morning. you decided to take a quick morning shower to freshen up before the road trip up to L.A... After your shower, you quickly put on your favorite fandom shirt and some ripped jeans. you grab your phone and charger stuffing them in your luggage. You toss your carry-on over your shoulder and drop off your stuff by the door, you give one last quick look around your home. You smile contently and pick up your things opening and locking the door behind you. You grab your phone out of your luggage and text (bf/n)

(BF is your best friend, Y is you.)

Y - Hey, I'm ready to go, I'll meet you at your place yeah?

BF - k, do you want to make a stop at that coffee shop you like later on when we are all secured and situated?

Y - yeah I'm 'chill' with that.

You move the phone into your pocket for convincing. You soon finally make it to your friend's house. You see them waiting on the curb, playing on their phone.

Your friend glances up noticing your presence and grins. "Hey (N/N)! I'll get that for you." She/he gently takes the luggage away from you, opening the trunk of the car. You notice their luggage already placed in the back.

"Thanks," you respond getting in the passenger seat. "for that I'll pay for our coffee."

Your friend chuckles. "If you insist." They knew how stubborn you can be when it comes to paying for your friend's food and drinks.

"I do." You plug in your friend's phone to the aux cord to play the playlist you guys have made in the past for scenarios such as these. Your friends pull out of their front parking spot and head off to your favorite pastry-coffee shop, to pick up breakfast for the both of you.

"I wanted to talk to you about what you said the last time you texted me, on Saturday. What was that about?" (BF/F) inquired not removing their eyes from the road.

"Oh yeah, being followed right?" Your friend nodded in confirmation. "Well, to be honest, I didn't see anyone. Maybe I was overreacting. Besides, it could've been anything."

"What if it was..darkness himself?" Your friend joked, saying darkness like you would be acting like a ghost. Your friend was a fan of creepy things.

You laugh, "You know that's an old wives tale. You know he isn't real."

Your friend shrugs in response. "Whatever you say."

After a few minutes of cracking jokes and screaming music lyrics, you arrive at the coffee shop. you park in one of the sparsely placed empty parking spots. You both walk inside you telling your friend what you wanted to order and eat before finding a table to sit at. You luckily were able to find one by the window in the corner. you sit down and wait for your friend. After around 10 minutes they finally arrive. The line was most definitely long, it didn't help that the place was busy with the long drive-in. They hand you your chosen drink. you sip it taking a bit of the pastry/breakfast sandwich you ordered. You both finish up quickly, wanting to get to Cali at a good time.

____________________________________________________________________________

It's been a few hours now, you were in the middle of nowhere as far as you knew. You were enjoying the time you spent with your friend. You never seem to get to spend much time with them as much as you use to.

"Okay are we there yet?" You asked for probably the 500th time that day, yawning.

"We should be there by tomorrow if we decided to drive through the night." They replied.

Your eyes widen. "What?!" you groan. You fake pout. "That will take foreverrr!" you sighed dramatically.

(BF/N) snickered, "I swear sometimes you're like a little kid."

____________________________________________________________________________

It was around midnight when we stopped at a motel. We ordered a room, and took the elevator to our room. Luckily there were two medium-sized beds for each of us to sleep on. Once you both got settled you both head to bed.

_You awoke in a forest near an old cabin. You look over your surroundings in confusion. You stood up looking at the cabin. It looked run-down, old. It looked like no one took care of it. You decided to go into the cabin, you push open the door having some difficulty from how one of the hinges have been broken. You step inside the home, there was a kitchen on the right side of you. There was a hallway in the middle of the room which you assumed to lead to the living room. And finally, there were the stairs on the far left side of the room, leading to a master bedroom and a bathroom. Overall the place itself wasn't too big, nor too small. For some reason, you decided to go up the stairs first. You step up the creaky, oak wood stairs taking note of one of the bent in stairs. You make it to the top, walking into the bedroom, you notice a quiet voice whisper something._

_Soon (Y/N)..._

_"what?" you muttered._

_Suddenly a loud static ringing sound began. You collapse to the ground pressing your hands over your ears to prevent the pain in your head from increasing. You shut your eyes tightly. Soon you open your eyes again when the sound began to somewhat die down. You cautiously remove your hands from the sides of your head and notice a pair of dark black dress shoes in front of you. You slowly look up at the person..he wore a suit. As you were about to meet his gaze-_

you woke up.

Your eyes darted around the room in a panic. There was no-one. You sigh quietly and grab your phone off the tiny nightstand. It was about 4 or 5 in the morning. You lay your head back down on the pillow staring at the ceiling. You thought about the dream...It could be a coincidence that you had a dream involving some entity of darkness right? You shake your head, trying to fall asleep. You eventually do.


	5. (Chapter 4)

You wake up to (BF/N) shaking you awake.

"(N/N)! Wake your lazy-ass up! We gotta gO!" They yelled.

You open your eyes rubbing them still half asleep.

"Alright, I'm awake." You slur. you shake your head as you stand up stretching. "what's the plan?"

"First we will stop to get breakfast, then we will hopefully arrive at L.A, To eat lunch or dinner."

You nodded, you tie on your shoes and help (BF/N) to make sure both beds are made and the room isn't ruined. You head down the stairs this time, to make it down the lobby. You make it to your friend's ride and hop in. You press play to continue the playlist as you both continue your journey. At this rate, you were both probably gonna make it to the destination by 4 or 5 o'clock. You both stop at a breakfast burrito place to start the day, grabbing some coffee along the way.

To save you time, nothing too crazy happened in the car ride. Just best friends screeching lyrics, jokes, a bit of truth or dare, and to top it off talking about whatever the fuck people who are in their twenties talk about.

"Look! L.A 30 miles away!" You point at the green sign.

"Yay! I don't know how much longer I can stand being in this car." Your friend cheers.

"Definitely."

After an hour and 30 minutes, thanks to some traffic, you both make it to L.A. You both race down the hall of the lobby with key cards in both of your hands and luggages speeding behind you. You stick your card into the scanner and the door opens. you both place your essentials by the door for the time being and run to the bathroom.

"I call dibs!" (BF/N) Called out.

"Not if I get there first!" You countered back, reaching for the doorknob.

You are both neck and neck and...You claim victory. You open the door and shove it closed behind you locking it.

"I win! Suck it!" you laugh out.

"No fair! I'm already letting you pick out some restaurants we will go to on this vacation! The least you can do is let me take my piss!" Your friends cried out muffled protests through the door.

You give in. "FFFFFFF-ffine!" you unlock and open the door, stepping out. your friend let out a bombshell of thank you's as they ran into the room. you shake your head chuckling

Classic (BF/N).

You grab your luggage and things before unpacking in one of the two bedrooms. You plug both your phone and laptop to charge, then check if your friend was done using the bathroom. You find her/him in the living room watching one of their favorite animes. You do your business then flop beside your friend on the couch, who is intently watching the screen.

"Did you unpack yet?" you ask trying to start small talk.

"Not yet, I'm gonna do it later. Right now I'm busy."

"You're watching Anime aren't you?"

"It'S vErY iMpOrTaNt!!!!"

You roll your eyes. you get up and walk to your room to start to read some fanfiction on your phone. you grab your phone off the dresser that was placed next to the bed and didn't bother to unplug the phone. You tap on the Wattpad app continuing to read a horror story in your library. As you read you hear your friend shout that they are going to go buy some take-out for both of you. You lazily text them your order and check the time.

_6:30. Geez, the time has been flying by._

You stand up stretching. You decide to take a quick walk around the hotel to check out the place. You grab your Bluetooth headphones/earbuds and head out making sure you have your key card. You stuff your items in your pocket and head out on your way. As you hum whatever song of your choice, you stand by the elevator waiting for it. You continue to hum until your music turns choppy.

_Odd. this never happens._

You take out your phone, it looked alright. You remove your headphones/buds from your ears to try to restart them, turning them on and off. As you are turning back on the device you hear the elevator door open. You walk in choosing a random button. As the elevator goes down you try your music again, to no avail.

_The damn thing is probably dying. Jeez, what is it with me and electronics?_

You leave the device around your neck. You walk out of the elevator to what looks like a chill room, there was a pool table, a bar, and some arcade games. There were a few tables scattered around to put your drink and whatever food you were able to order. You walk into the arcade area deciding to play some classic **_Space Invaders_**.

As you play a quarter is dropped against the screen.

"My turn next." A deep masculine voice spoke.

I get distracted causing me to die in-game. You look over at the man, Korean looking, dark hair, a bit of stubble, he stood at about 5,10'. He was wearing a dark grey hoodie that read what you thought were the words:

 **Cloak**.

You look up at him as you stepped out of the way.

"Who are you?" You replied.

"Mark, yours?" His attention to the game.

"(Y/N)...why do you care?"

"Well that's for me to know..and you to find out." He joked, "To be honest I've never seen you around before and was wondering who you were."

"Oh well, I was visiting here with my friend. Do you frequent here?"

"Well, it depends, my original intent was to meet up with a friend here. He's from outta town."

"Ah." you nod. You glance at your phone. "Shit looks like a gotta go. I'll see you?"

"Yeah, cya soon (Y/N)."

You run over to the elevator pressing the button to get to your floor. You rush down the hall as soon as the doors slide open. You reach your door and unlock it.

"Sorry (BF/N)! I was caught up talking to someone." I apologize.

(BF/N) laughed, "It's all good. So you're trying to get into the dating scene already huh?" They wiggle their eyebrows suggestively.

You choke on your food, "W-what!" You gulp it down. "I am NoT! For real, I just got bored and I got caught in a conversation."

"Mmhmm." Your friend hums. "So spill the tea, I'm thirsty."

"For dick.." I mutter. "Well, it was a guy and he seemed chill. He was nice."

"Well make sure you invite me to the wedding! That's what usually happens in those fanfictions you read right? Boy meets girl, the girl confesses love for the guy next week, and the next thing you know it they 'do it' and get married and have a kid, all that in the span of what..3 weeks?!"

"Actually I don't read that stuff, I read horror."

"Whatever, same difference-"

A knock at the door, flashbacks of Sunday fled through your brain. You shake the thought off, you walk over to the door to look through the peephole. Nothing. You open the door and look left to right, then look down.

_Another note?_

You pick it up reading it.

_**I can't wait to meet you...In due time~** _

"Whos at the door?" (BF/N) called out, their voice muffled by food in their mouth.

You pick up the note folding it and putting it in your pocket. "Ah, just some ding dong ditch or something." you lied.

Your friend raised a brow searching your face to see if you were lying. You try to keep a poker face but ultimately fail.

"(Y/N) what was it."

You sighed, "Another note. It says that we will meet in due time or something."

"Creepy. Don't worry if anything happens I will be here for you. If this continues tell me. No more lies got it?"

You hesitantly nod, you didn't want to drag them into your crap. You sit back down at the table and continue to eat dinner. After you finish eating, you clean up your plate before going to your room. You step into your room closing the door behind you. You walk over to your bed and take out your phone to watch some Youtube. As you click on one of your favorite channels the phone freezes for a split second before working again. You frown in annoyance. You were getting tired of this. You shake your head before watching one of the channel's videos, you were gonna deal with these shenanigans later. 


	6. (Chapter 5)

The next day you went out early in the morning to buy breakfast for your friend, as a thank you for everything. You walked into the small coffee shop and waited in line. Surprisingly the line wasn't as long as you would think. As you waited in line you feel a soft tap on your shoulder. You look over your shoulder and are met with a familiar pair of soft, dark, cinnamon-brown eyes.

"Hey (Y/N)!"

"Mark? Oh! Uh hey!" You shyly greet. "How are you?"

"Oh I'm great! Just wonderful...How are you liking L.A so far?" He grinned.

"It's alright so far I suppose, I can't make a proper opinion yet though."

He nodded, "I understand. Hey since you haven't seen much of LA yet how bout I give you guys a tour?"

You smiled and agreed, "Sure. I'll ask my friend about it. I just want to make sure they're cool with it."

Near the end of your conversation, you noticed that you were in front of the line. Flustered you order your and (BF/N)'s preferred warm beverage and pay before sitting down in one of the slides in booths. After Mark orders his coffee he sits across from you. "Hope you don't mind me sitting here."

"Your good."

You continue your conversation from earlier with him, asking different questions about LA and what it's like.

"(Choice of Beverage) and (Random coffee here) for (Y/N) (L/N)?"

You grabbed your order and were about to return to you and Mark's booth when you notice his absence. He was gone, leaving behind a napkin with his number hastily scribbled on it. You look down at it in confusion, why would he leave just like that..you don't think he even got his drink.

_What the...Why did he leave, didn't he order?_

You grabbed the napkin folding it, before tucking it inside your pocket. You shake your head with an exhausted sigh. You left the coffee shop, making your way over to a pastry shop. The rest of the morning went without incident, you were still troubled by earlier. You knew it was odd. Where you gonna question him? You didn't know. Once you have gathered everything you needed you began your way back to the hotel. You opened the door to your friend's room, a tray full of breakfast items. You gently placed the tray on the side table before gently shaking your friend awake. They woke up with an annoyed look.

"(Y/N)! Why did you wake me up so early in the diddly darn-" They stopped when they noticed the tray. "Aww, you shouldn't have!" They pulled you in a huge hug. You chuckled sheepishly after you pulled away.

"So as I was getting coffee and food for you I ran into the guy I met last night. He offered to show us around town. What do ya think?"

"Sure I suppose, we don't really have many plans."

"Great, I think you may like him...Well, I'll leave ya to it. Enjoy your food!" You went back to your room to add Mark's number. You sent out a text to him asking if he was Mark and saying who you were. As you browse the internet to pass the time you get a text back. You open up the notification.

(Mark is M and Y is you)

**Y- Hey Mark! It's (Y/N)!**

**M- Hey! So did your friend accept?**

**Y- Yep! We are all good to go, just need a plan and place.**

**M- We will meet outside the hotel entrance. Is 3 a good time?**

**Y- Yeah! I'm chill with that!**

**M- Nice. Well, we will meet in a few hours. I will ttyl.**

**Y- Alright! Cya soon.**

You press send on the final text before shutting off your phone to go inform your friend about the plan.

Time slipped by fairly swiftly. You were now standing with your friend in the lobby waiting for Mark to text when he arrived. You and your friend shared small talk with each other whilst waiting. Your conversation was wrapping up when you get a notification.

**M- I'm outside the hotel!**

You both stand up, quickly stretching as you strolled over to the glass door entrance. You spotted where he was instantly. He leaned against the side of the building. He sent a welcoming smile to (BF/N) before his eyes settled on you.

"(BF/N) This is Mark, Mark meet (BF/N)." You introduced the two.

Mark reached his hand out to shake your friend's hand. Your friend accepted it.

"So this is who you were talking about! He is quite a catch!" Your friend chirped.

This gesture caused blood to rush to your face out of embarrassment.

"Wha- no no no! N-Not like that!" You tried to defend yourself. You were failing.

Mark let out a small laugh. "I have to agree with your friend here, I suppose I am quite a catch!" He teased as he threw an arm around your shoulder giving it a gentle squeeze. You felt like you were going to die from embarrassment right then and there, unfortunately, you didn't. You groan agitated.

"Ughhh, let's just get this over with!" You throw up your hands exasperated. They both just giggled in response.

You all began roaming the streets of L.A enjoying each others company. Throughout the walk, you noticed that he didn't remove his arm from your shoulder, but didn't seem to mind. At some point during the trip, you all decided to stop for some lunch/dinner at a small classy diner. It looked pretty fancy, soft orange lights illuminated the place, with plenty of window seats and windows, adding some sort of comfort to the place. Mark held the door out for you all, entering after checking to see if he needed to hold the door for anyone else. Mark walked over and greeted the host, he was sort of tall, lanky, yet still had some muscle. His hair held a soft blue color reminding you of something like a blueberry. He kindly greeted you all, leading you to your table enthusiastically. You couldn't help but let a smile break out on your face from the positivity radiating off the guy. You all take a seat near the window, you look out the window taking note of the possible drizzle to happen soon, because of the overcast.

Some more conversing later and your waiter walks over, "Good evening my name is Tyler and I will be your server for today." Tyler had curly brown hair, he, in a way, had a sort of similar body shape to Mark's. (Sorry in advance if I get any descriptions of characters incorrect.) You all take your orders before continuing on. A sudden ring from your friend's phone breaks the conversation.

"Ah shit, sorry! I gotta take this." They stand up from their seat abruptly.

"Your good!" You and Mark shout after them as they step outside.

After a beat, you break the silence. "Hey, Mark? Thanks for taking us around, you really didn't have to but..Just..Thank you."

Mark beamed, "You're very welcome. You said you were visiting right?" You nod in confirmation. "How long will you be staying?"

"I'm not sure, (BF/N) didn't really specify. At most maybe 2-3 weeks." You answer.

He nods as Tyler walks over with the drinks you ordered earlier. You thank him with a polite smile.

"Hey guys! Sorry about that!" (BF/N) Apologizes profusely.

"Like we said earlier, your good," Mark said.

Soon enough you'll get your food around 30 minutes later after ordering.

The evening went really well, you got to know Mark more and vice versa. Your last stop was at a club/bar surprisingly, even if you wore something on the more casual side, you didn't mind. You all enter the building after waiting in line for a few minutes. Your first stop was at the bar, you and Mark ordered simple water whilst your friend decided to be adventurous, ordering a round of shots.

You raise an eyebrow playfully at Mark, "I thought you would be more of a drinker?"

"Hey! For your information, I actually can't drink." He informed.

"Whatever you say shorty!"

Mark pouted, "HEY!" he pointed an accusing finger at you, "I. AM. N O T. SHORT!" You must of struck a nerve, he was triggered. You let out a snort in response. You cover your mouth as you laugh. After sitting for a bit you go out onto the somewhat crowded dance floor.

It was about an hour and a half before you decided to take a breather, you had a bit of alcohol by now so you felt a bit funny. You notice a quiet patio like area upstairs, a balcony. You noticed it has started to lightly drizzle. You stand by the railing looking out into the rain. You take a deep breath in and release the breath out your mouth contently. You were in a good place, all the stress, weird notes you've received, melted away from your thoughts. You focused on the soft sound of the rain pitter-pattering against the balcony's roof. You snap out of your calm trace alerted by Mark's voice.

"Thought I would find you up here."

You weren't gonna lie, you were disappointed/annoyed by the sudden interruption, but you held your poker face. "Yeah, I just needed some air, a break from all the crazy. Is (BF/N) okay?" You were slightly concerned, you knew your friend well enough to know how they are like when drunk, especially in a social setting like this.

"Yeah they're okay, I just wanted to know how you were holding up. I saw you head up here..." He trailed off.

"Stalker much?"

He awkwardly chuckled scratching his behind his neck. "If you put it like that.."

After that statement you both relaxed on the balcony for a few minutes, enjoying the silence. Your about to turn to him to excuse yourself to go check on your intoxicated friend, when you hear that all too familiar ringing, this time accompanied with a low creaking sound, like something from a cabin.

"Hey, Mark do you hear that-" You stop, he was gone, again. You stand up, feeling creeped out. Your fight-or-flight instincts began to kick in, causing you to start backing up slowly towards the balcony opening to leave. As you do so, a sudden invisible force stops you. You began to panic trying to free yourself using all your strength. Unfortunately, the force has a better grip on you than you thought. As you are struggling again (refusing to give in/give up) you tried to call for help, but nothing came out. The ringing by now had progressively grown almost to an unbearable point before Mark's voice broke through, sounding garbled. 4 words.

**"Go back to sleep."**

And just like that, you pass out.


	7. (Chapter 6)

Your eyelids slowly open, being met with an abyss of nothing. Everything was black. You were lying on the ground when you awoke. You confusingly sit up, stumbling back up on your feet. Were you asleep? Dead even? You felt ill to your stomach, most likely to the impossible scenario you found yourself in. You hesitantly begin your journey through the black nothingness. The abyss you walked in held a sinister feeling, you hated it. As you walk mindlessly your eyes wander around looking for something, anything. You then spot it, a table for two, and what looks to be a man in a suit adding the finishing touches on it. As you grow nearer you notice his skin color, and his outline..grey skin and a 3D outline, it sort of made your head/eyes hurt staring at it. You avert your eyes, wincing. After watching the man for a few minutes you decided to speak. Despite your logic telling you not to say anything to alert your presence.

"Hello?"

The man who looks scarily similar to Mark looks over at the sound of your voice.

 **"Seems you have finally awoken. Here,"** He pulls out a chair from the table. You step back with a doubtful expression, he catches on, and in an attempt to convince you he adds, **"I have no intent in harming you, I just want to talk."**

You cursed internally, you had no choice, besides you didn't want to possibly anger him. That wouldn't end well. So you go over. As you walk, you notice the table, it held a soft decorative sheet over it, on top was a tiny vase in the center with a bouquet of your favorite flowers, a wine bottle, two wine glasses, and two plates, one plate (the one where you would be sitting) has your favorite food, the other had steak with some randomly chosen vegetables on the side. You sat down on the chair. He lightly applies pressure onto the chair pushing you in. He sits across from you. You try to avoid eye contact, the continuous waves of anxiety hitting you.

 **"There is no reason to be afraid my dear."** He sensed your fear. You felt goosebumps prickle up your arm. Soon you gather what little courage you had and you spoke, finally being able to look him in the eye. Only if just a second. His eyes were a very deep shade of brown almost black.

"W-Who are you?"

_Great going (Y/N). Totally showed you aren't afraid!_

After finishing your sarcastic comment mentally, you hear a quiet chuckle from the man--no demon--whatever it was, in front of you.

 **"Call me Dark, sweetheart."** you cringe mentally at the pet name. Closer to him, you acknowledge how unnaturally deep and echoey his voice is.

Still feeling intimidated you continue to stutter, "Well...Dark...What do y-you want?"

 **"I will explain soon. Now that we are here together, I would really like to get to know each other."** He clears his throat, before gesturing to the bottle of wine, **"Wine?"**

You ultimately agree, if his intentions were to kill you he would have done it by now. He grins at your answer as he starts to pour you a glass before himself. As he poured you noticed the flickering of his red and blue outline. It looked as if he were glitching? He hands it to you. As you grab the glass from him you take note of how cold his hand was, just from the brief touch. You take a small swig of the alcoholic beverage before placing it down. You look at the food pausing.

**"Go on."**

The two of you kept to yourselves whilst eating. After you finished you let your eyes wander the abyss. You had no clue where you were. This was probably another dream, right? Like the cabin where you had your first encounter with him? You broke the silence "Were you the one who..sent those notes..and that flower?" You point to the vase that held said flowers. It was probably obvious who did it, but you couldn't help but ask.

He nods, **"Correct. Now..I'm sure you are wondering why I brought you here."**

"Yeah."

**"Well you see, you are an important piece of the puzzle. You have been chosen, you are very important. I've been waiting a long time to see you again (Y/N)."**

This was the first time you heard your name roll off his tongue. You feel, again, sick to your stomach. What the hell was he meaning saying you were an important piece of the puzzle?

**"To put it simply, I need your assistance. I've been watching you for a while and it seems you'd make a good fit."**

"W-Why would I agree?"

**"If you help me, I can help you, it's as simple as that."**

You ponder for a moment, this was all too much. You barely knew this man, how would he expect you to help him that easily?

**"I'll let you think about it."**

You look over him. He seemed serious. As you meet his gaze you felt an odd feeling rising in your chest, it hurt to look at him. You immediately shy back down to stare at the empty plate in front of you.

"Before I make a decision, I need to...H-How do I say this? Understand you better. You probably k-know everything about me, but I don't know much about you, other t-then you w-wear the face of an f-friend of mine." you muttered.

After he took in your response he stands up. He steps around the table to you, once more grabbing the chair you sat in.

 **"I understand, it was wrong of me to come off so strong my dear."** He whispers in your ear, his head above your shoulder. You felt blood rush to your face nervously, as you felt his breath against your ear while he pulled the chair out from the table. He moves his head once he lets go of the chair. You slowly rise from your seat, turning to look at him. He adjusts his tie and suit with a crack of his neck. **"I hope to see you soon darling. Hopefully..in a more proper setting."**

All you do is give a small nod. "Y-Yeah..L-Likewise."

You were lying to him, yes a small part of you was curious to see where this would go, but you had to be smart. You can't dig yourself a grave. Right?

He nods in return. **"Farewell..for now."** He releases a deep chuckle as you find yourself waking up back onto the balcony.


	8. (Chapter 7)

You hear your name being faintly called, like from the end of a tunnel. Your vision was slightly blurred, someone's hand waved in front of you, once noticing your waking state. Turned out that hand belonged to Mark, figuring this fact out once your vision cleared some.

"(Y/N)? (Y/N) wake up, you okay?" His coffee eyes full of panic and concern, these features formed as well on his face.

"M-Mark?" You murmur.

His face lights up with some relief, releasing your waking up. You move to stand having difficulty from the state your in. Your knees give in causing you to flop into his chest. He immediately catches you, trying to steady you. He moves your arm over his shoulder before wrapping his arm around your back to bring you over to the couch. After doing so he helps you sit down.

He moves so he's facing you, "What happened?" He softly muttered, his eyes searching your face for answers.

"I.." You didn't have an excuse. "I..don't...remember."

Judging from the look on his face he still looked skeptical, but ultimately dropped it.

"Is..(BF/N) okay?" You asked you hoped they were alright.

"Yeah, they're okay. They were worried. Once I saw you were unconscious I ran to get them. Once I returned you seemed to be waking up a little bit. You said some pretty incoherent things before slipping back to sleep. Before you fully awoke they said they had to go to the bathroom."

You nod understanding, still a bit sluggish.

After a moment of silence, you hear the racing footsteps of your friend. "MARK! Is (Y/N)-" They stop once they see you awake. "(Y/N)!" They tackled you into a bear hug, nearly tripping because of their still slightly drunken state. You cringe at the sudden surprise hug, not expecting it. "I'm so glad you're okay! Don't you randomly pass out on me again dammit!"

You awkwardly chuckle, "Alright."

After a few more minutes of conversation, you all decide to order an uber call it in for the night. You sit in the back by the window with Mark, your friend calling shotgun.

You find yourself staring up at the sky, you sadly couldn't find stars though thanks to the light pollution. After figuring out who pays, you step out of the car, enjoying the fresh smell of the rain and breeze. It seemed that there was still a small drizzle. You felt a bit better after the ride, beginning to return to normal, almost forgetting the events prior. Your friend already begins to stumble inside the lobby, leaving you and Mark alone.

"I had a fun time today..and thank you for helping me and stuff." You rub the back of your neck shyly.

"Hey" He shoved his hands in his jean pockets. "Of course. I'm happy to help (Y/N)." He chuckled, a warm smile spreading onto his face.

You felt a smile break out on your face. "Yeah." After a beat, you start to go to the entrance doors.

"Hey...Get some good rest. Call or text me if you need anything ok?" He stops you.

You glance at him over your shoulder, after a second, you spoke "I will. Thanks, Mark."

"Of course."

After the brief conversation, you enter the building, departing ways.

Your eyes flicker open by the sound of your friend groaning from the living room. You rub your eyes sleepily as you stretch and take your phone from the nightstand. You whine at your sight being met with the brightness of your phone, dang it, you forgot to turn it down before going to sleep. You once more open your eyes once they've adjusted. It was around 9:45. You drop the phone back on the nightstand with a sigh, before swinging your legs over your bed. You step into the living room to investigate. On the couch sprawled around was your friend. They most likely had a hangover.

"(BF/N)? You good?"

They moaned again before tossing a pillow they were using for their head to you, "Be quiettt...I have a headache." Yep. This confirmed your suspicions.

"Did you take some pain medicine? Did you bring some with you?" You whisper, trying to meet your best friend's needs.

They shook their head no. "I may have forgotten it.."

You let out another small huff, looks like you have to take a trip to the Pharmacie store. "Alright, I will be back okay?" They nod sleepily.

You grab your necessary items before taking off, deciding to walk, instead of taking an Uber.

After paying for everything, you leave triumphantly, stuffing the medicine in your purse/satchel. You stop at a coffee shop and order two coffees and pastries as usual, finishing your errand. You step back into the living room, your friend was still slumped on the couch. You pass your friend their food, drink, and medicine before walking back to your room. You open your phone to find a text from Mark.

**M - Hey, you doing okay?**

It was sent a few minutes ago. You felt your lips curl into a tiny smile.

**Y - Yeah I'm okay, just went out to get some medicine for (BF/N)'s hangover.**

**M - Ah, makes sense.**

**Y - Yeah. How are you doing, are you alright? Sorry for scaring you last night.**

**M - No need to apologize, things happen. Anyway, I'm good, woke up a while ago to take my dog for a walk.**

**Y - You have a dog? :D**

**M - Had a feeling you would react that way, lol. Her name is Chica. I've had her for quite some time. If you like you could meet her. I haven't taken her out yet anyway.**

**Y - That would be nice. When?**

After making plans, for probably the millionth time that week, You let your (BF/N) know. As you told them, you felt a pang of guilt. You felt like you haven't hung out with them much on this vacation, even if you just hung with them yesterday. It was stupid. They were pretty cool with it, already planning to relax the whole day anyway, having the hotel room to themselves was just a bonus. You decided to change clothes before heading out, as you were still in your clothes from last night. You change into some comfortable pants and a random tee shirt and grab a thin hoodie. You once again take your purse/satchel before leaving. Since you still had some time free, you head down to the 'chill area'. The same area where you met Mark. You find yourself walking over to the arcade area. Where you play for the next few minutes or so.

You're walking out of the elevator and into the lobby when you get another message from Mark.

**M - Hey I'm at the park, I sent a prepaid uber your way. Just tell the driver who you are.**

You send back a simple response before going outside the hotel, where you wait. You look up from your phone when you hear the sound of the tires rolling down the road to a stop. You put your phone in your carry on as per usual, before checking if it was the uber.

"Are you (Y/N)?"

You nod in confirmation before taking shotgun and buckling up. You close the car door behind you after getting out. You watch it drive away before looking for Mark. You walk around a bit, exploring the area before you text Mark where you are located. Soon enough you spot the dark-haired male who is jogging towards you, your gaze moves to the fluffy, golden retriever. You look up from the dog and up to Mark, as you stare at him you get a 'nice' reminder of the man you encountered last night. You shudder at the memory.

"(Y/N)? You okay?" You snap back out of your thoughts and chuckle nervously.

"Y-Yeah! Just spaced out. Sorry." You move your focus now to the happy animal next to him. You kneel down next to the dog smiling, "Hi, who's the goodest girl? Yeah, that's you!" You gently hold out your hand for her to sniff. She tilts her head curiously before slowly moving her nose to your hand sniffing it. She then starts to lick it before you move your hand to gently pet her head. You look up at Mark, who is smiling affectionately at you both.

"How long have you had her?"

"A few years now." You nod in reply as you stand.

"That's cool."

You both begin to take a walk around the park, sharing small talk. You find your mind wandering back you last night. You still couldn't wrap your head around the situation. A part of you wanted to tell Mark what happened but what the hell could you say? 'Hey I met someone who looked like you in a suit who asked me to make a deal with him!' He would think you were crazy. You looked over at him while he laughed to himself over a silly joke he made. You smiled, forcing your mind to think of something else. Mark raised an eyebrow at you.

"You sure your alright?"

"Yeah.." You turn your head taking in the pretty landscape around the three of you, trying to avoid the subject. There were trees scattered as far as the eye can see, a playground sat empty a few feet away. The swings caught your attention."Hey! Come on!" You run over to the swing set, Mark shakes his head before following with Chica. You sat down, your legs dangled. You looked over at him, a small light of amusement in his eyes. A calm silence came after, you both quietly enjoyed the scenery. You sigh to yourself.

"How about you, you okay?" You decided to turn the tables, to him. "I know I asked earlier but I just wanted to make sure you were okay-er you know for real. I mean last night was pretty chaotic."

He nodded, "I am now, anyway. You gave us quite a scare last night."

"Sorry."

"Hey," His voice softened, as he placed a reassuring pat on your shoulder. " Whatever happened last night was not your fault okay?"

You look over at him, he was genuine. "Thank you.."

"You are welcome." The smile returned to his face.

"Ah, alright, enough with the sappy stuff, you know a good food joint?" You reply.

"Yeah." He began walking off, "Onwards!" He shouted flailing his arm, that was not holding the leash, up in the air. 

"H-Hey wait up!" You laugh, nearly falling on your face as you reach to catch up to Mark.

Damn, he was a fast walker. 


	9. (Chapter 8)

Before heading out to the restaurant, you both decided to stop at Mark's place to drop off Chica. You gazed up at the house, your eyes widening in slight surprise. The home seemed pretty luxurious.

"Woah! This looks like something out of a magazine cover. You famous or something?" You joked, this place seemed on the high end of things.

Mark fumbled with the key as he spoke, "Perhaps...That is a story for another day, though." He dodged the question, no straight answer. He finally unlocked the door and with that, immediately entered his residence. He unhooked the leash with ease and gave the furry friend some pats before moving to you. "Before we go I need to make a quick call, so someone can watch her whilst I'm gone, so feel free to make yourself comfortable. I'll be in the other room," He uses his thumb to point over his shoulder, "If you need me."

You nod in confirmation. He grins at your answer before stepping out of the room. You decide to look around the room. It seems like this was the living room. Simple yet nice furniture decorated the room. A couch, coffee table, flatscreen tv, and what looked to be a video game console connected to it. You hum to yourself before plopping on the couch, a little bewildered when you bounce a bit from the landing. As you wait, you bring out your phone, shooting a quick message to your friend, letting them know you're safe and well.

**Y - Hey! Just letting you know we're alright. You doing okay?**

As you type away, you hear Mark's voice through the wall, though slightly muffled. It seemed agitated. You only heard bits and pieces.

"Look...Favor......I......They.....Important....last-minute....Fine"  
Your eyebrows knitted together.  
 _What?_

You crane your head toward the entryway to the other room but are interrupted when your phone vibrates and softly rings out a notification sound.

**BF - Glad you're okay. I'm doing fine, enjoying peace and quiet. :P**

As you start to type out a response, you try to listen for intelligible words.

"Trust...Me......Look......Sorry...I........shouldn't.......Lashed.....Out......Rude.."

_Weird..._

You send the message before deciding to stay away from the convo happening in the other room. You didn't want to create conflict or anything. Not that you were doing so. You mess around on your phone, going through social media, certain reading websites, the usual. It wasn't until a bit later when Mark was finally done. He slips his phone into the shorts he was wearing.

"Hey (Y/N), Sorry for how long that took. Everything should be all situated"

You dismiss his apology, you didn't seem to mind.

"Okay. You ready to go?"

You nod for what seems like the thousandth time, before leaving the home with him. The ride to the restaurant was okay, you both took an uber. You step out and into the place, Mark holding both the car and dining establishment door. Your time there was swell. It was better that Mark was great company. Near the end of the evening, you felt the urge to use the restroom.

"Hey, I'll be right back. I gotta use the bathroom."

"Alright, be safe." He shared half-jokingly.

You shake your head as you maneuver past tables and waiters. You finally make it to the bathroom in one piece, knocking on the door before opening it, wanting to make sure it was unoccupied. Upon hearing nothing to confirm nobody was in the room, you open the door. You feel a shiver slink down your spine as you notice the pitch-black room...similar to the void. You immediately go for the lightswitch, fortunately, it being right next to the door, on the wall beside the entrance. You turn to close the door and press the button on the handle to lock it. You do your business before going to wash your hands. You hesitate before turning on the faucet, eyeing your reflection in the mirror. You observed your features and the wall behind you, making sure nothing was behind you. You huff, casting down your glare as you scrub your hands.

_What is up with me..._

You pause for a brief moment before looking up at the mirror again, hoping subconsciously that no... _Person_...would be behind you. There was nothing. You turn to the paper towel dispenser and quickly dry your hands. You hoped you didn't take too long. You make your way back to the table and discover Mark already paid. Both of you bantered back and forth as you waited for another ride to pick you all up. When you and Mark arrived at the hotel, he insisted on walking you back to your hotel room.

"Cmon, let me at least walk you back. Maybe as an apology for paying for our meal?" He joked.

You tried to keep the scowl on your face, but it was no use. You broke.

"Fine."

"Thank you!" He exclaimed dramatically relieved. Both of you make it past the elevator and make it to your door.

"Thank you for the evening. I had a great time. Chica is wonderful!"

"Your welcome. I'm glad you liked her."

"Yeah. I know I keep thanking you, but thanks for all this. It means a lot."

He beamed warmly. You swore there was a twinkle in his eye. "Of course." He gushed.

You released a tiny laugh. Happy from his response. You glance at him once more, then knock on the door. Even though you had the key you wanted to make sure they would be alright. It was odd, You knew. Your friend opens the door and excitingly greets you.

"Hey! Glad to see you're okay! Thank you Mark for not doing anything bad to (Y/N)!"

Heat rose to your face from 2nd hand embarrassment from the comment. You cast your eyes anywhere but their face.

_Oof_

"Your welcome." He chuckled. "I guess I'll leave you both to it. I need to go home back to Chica." He made his departure, waving as he went. He shoots a quick look over his shoulder as he does so, before going to the lobby.

You enter past your friend, who also waves before shutting and locking the door.

"Who's Chica?" Your friend curiously asked. 

"Mark's dog, you have to meet her one of these days. She awesome!" You enthuse. Your friend lit up hearing about the golden retriever. "Anyways, How was your day?"

"It wasn't too bad, just got over a bad hangover really. The medicine helped. I basically just watched Netflix and chilled by myself."

"That sounds nice." You hopped on the couch, feeling semi-exhausted from the outing.

Your friend made a sound of agreement before settling beside your feet.

"So how's Mark?" Your friend nudged your foot with their elbow.

You groan into the pillow. "It's not like that."

"Why so defensive then?"

"It's...Complicated."

_Dealing with possible supernatural shit that looks like a replica of a newfound friend is complicated._

"Oh well...Give me the deets. If you want to of course."

You move yourself so your head is not burrowed into the mass of pillows. You begin to explain the evening, not the crazy dream stuff. At the end of your explanation, Your friend's face cracked into a broad smile.

"I'm so proud of you."

Confusingly, you raise a brow. "Why?"

"You're putting yourself out there!"

Your eyes widen as you realize what they meant.

_Nope. Nope. No-_

You shook your head disapprovingly. "Thanks?" You lamely reply. "But no. That's not what I'm looking for right now."

"Aww. Damnit. One of these days you won't be in the single zone..eventually."

You roll your eyes but still creep in a tiny smile. It was cool how they were trying to support you.

"Maybe." You get up stretching before looking down at them, a question rattling your mind. "Do you think we have been spending enough time together this vacation?"

"I think so. We have been together most of this trip, I mean the road trip, yesterday at that bar, don't forget the dinners we have had!" They reassured you. "I'm sure we will have more time to spend soon."

You felt better. "Okay." You were just overthinking. You walk to your room stopping at the door. You look over your shoulder at them, "Thank you."

"No problem."

You sigh cheerfully as you walk in what you considered your temporary sanctuary. You take off your outfit and change into your nightwear. You lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

_This is one hell of a vacation_


	10. (Chapter 9)

You decided to browse the web on your laptop, as it was now set up. After a while, you find yourself beginning to doze off. You yawn once more, feeling like your jaw would pop off because of the amount of times you've done so. You tried to avoid falling asleep, a part of you was nervous to do so. You glance at the time, it was around 11:30. The more you tried to resist, the worse it got. So soon you gave in, and with the tiny amount of energy remaining, you shut down your laptop and got the bed situated. When you laid your head on the pillow, your eyes began to droop more, feeling heavy. You slowly succumbed to sleep.

Your eyes open. You look around, disoriented for a brief moment, again as last time there was nothing but the grating ringing piercing the silence of the abyss. In realization, your eyes flick around, looking for the main person to who this is all related to. Eventually, you spot him. There he was, his outfit had not changed much. He still wore that same grey, nearly black suit, with the same neatly tucked in red tie. That time, he was a bit away, seemingly taking in your movements, observing. You freeze from his calculating gaze, staring at him. His aura fizzled and flickered as he began to stride towards you knowing you had awoken, his shell warping in and out of existence. You quickly wobbled to a stand as he neared.

 **"It's good to see you again."** Dark greeted with a swivel of his neck.

You release air that you weren't aware you were holding. "Y-You're back." You were somewhat surprised, you didn't want to think that this was actually going to be a recurrence.

 **"I always keep my promises."** He spoke with a wicked grin.

With him now near you, the need to back away spiked, the logical side of you screaming at you to do so. But, No matter how hard you wanted to go, your body was rigid, unable to move. You avert your gaze from him, the uncomfort settling again. "A-Apparently."

A deep rumble emitted from him, a chuckle. **"Interesting how you have not changed much from our last...talk."**

You nod nervously. "I-It has only b-been a day." You mumble.

He smiles again, probably from amusement at your response. He turns from you, beginning to walk off. You're confused, before he raised his arm, gesturing for you to follow him. Seeing as you had nothing else to do, you obliged, a part of you still remaining cautious all the while.

After a few moments of silence, beside the hum of the pitched ringing, he spoke again.

**"As I recall, you want answers?"**

"Yeah.." You murmured.

**"To put it....simply, I am...Not normal. Quite different actually."**

"H-How so?"

**"I'm not human. Perhaps I look like one yes, but it is not easy to say."**

"You...have a similar a-appearance to...a friend. What's that a-about." You inquired.

**"It's..complicated I'm afraid, darling."**

You die inside at the nickname.

_Why..._

Once more, a tiny smile graces his face as he glances into your mind, discovering the thought.

"O-oh...well is t-there anything you can tell me t-that's not...complex?"

**"There is..something. It is where I..originate. A manor."**

"Manor?"

**"Correct. It's where it all started. I'm sure if you want more truths, you'll find them there."**

You furrow your eyebrows, this was more than you were expecting really. Kinda dumb you knew, but it was certainly something. You turn to him for a second, looking at him. He seemed genuine. Though something was still bothering you. You once more shrugged it off. You got your answers, you didn't want to push too much. One rabbit hole at a time.

Before changing the subject you ask, "Where is the manor? Er - What is it called?"

 **"Markiplier Manor."** He spat the first word out, looking almost disgusted he even had to mention it. The name bothers him, or at least maybe the name _Mark_ did. You took note of that. **"It is located in a more... secluded part of California. I'm sure if you research it, you'll likely find the place."**

"Okay, I'll k-keep that in mind. A-Anyways...Anywhere we're g-going?" You move your gaze around the void, trying not to look at the person beside you.

**"It's up to you. I can take you anywhere you'd like to go, but I can especially take you to places where you don't want to go."**

"How about.. a g-grassy field?" You wanted to test this out, even if you were nervous to do so.

He smirked before the void started to morph and change. As you both continue to walk, the grass starts to sprout from the ground, slowly surrounding you both. You look up, interested to see if anything would change. It did, instead of the emptiness that it was, there were flecks of light, most likely stars, that spread against the sky. There was one thing that was off, it was the color of things, instead of the grass being green as you would expect it to, it was devoid of color, grey. Before you stopped walking, what looked to be a light grey blanket appeared, wrinkled onto the grass. A picnic blanket. Dark stops at the blanket, sitting down upon it. He taps the empty space beside him, wanting you to join. You shyly do so, slowly setting yourself on the surprising soft fabric. Now that you were more near him, you felt the static energy around half of your body that was near him. It was an odd feeling, but it didn't make you feel uncomfortable, which you were grateful for. That would have been awkward.

"Y-you were able t-to do...all this?"

**"Right again."**

_Huh...that's...neat._

After that, no more words were exchanged for a while. Just the ringing, your breathing, brief movements to adjust where you were sitting, simple things. You were aware you were important, you just weren't sure what he wanted you to do. It was a little frightening, not knowing what you were getting yourself into, endless possibilities, and all that. But, that was life, taking risks, although in your case, not normal ones. Every so often, you found yourself looking at him, eyeing his appearance. You did not fully understand the aura around him. It was strange, but he did say he wasn't normal, but anyone could probably tell by the way his shell cracked. A part of you wanted to know why it was like that, but...at the same time, you're not sure you really wanted to know. You're about to turn your gaze, feeling the all too familiar feeling of heaviness in your chest, when without warning, he spoke up, **"See something you like?"** He caught on, turning his head to face you, a smug smile on his features.

You immediately look away, acting like the grass was the most interesting thing in the place. You trace your hand through it, the grass tickling at your palm.

_Frick_

"N-Nope."

Another short rumble emitted from him, another laugh. Heat rose to your face, further embarrassment ensuing.

**"Do not worry (Y/N), I don't judge."**

You begin to further die inside. You move your head side to side a bit, disagreeing. You move the angle of your head again, looking out to the probable endless field.

"D-Dark?"

**"Yes?"**

"Thank you...for e-explaining some things."

**"You're welcome."**

After a while, You decided to lay down on the blanket, feeling a bit tired, even if you were in a dream, maybe it took energy out of you. But for whatever the reason, you were somewhat sleepy. The man looks down at you, his shell spasming a bit.

**"Tired?"**

"I-I guess?"

**"This may be a side effect from me contacting you here. My apologies."**

You shrug, "I did sign up for this. There did have to be _some_ issues."

**"Unfortunately."**

Your eyes slowly close and open from you trying to fight your sleepiness, just like earlier. He notices your stubbornness and tries to persuade you, **"You should go to sleep. Besides, you are going to wake up soon anyway, I will be here waiting for you when you go back to sleep. It will be okay."**

Feeling somewhat assured by his words, you doze off. The entity watches you sleep for a bit before he stands up, and as similarly as last time removes the environment with a flick of his hand before everything fades and you start to wake up.


	11. (Chapter 10)

Throughout that morning, you ponder Dark's words. The thought of an abnormal Manor peaked your interest. It certainly did not help that it belonged to a man with coincidentally the same name as someone you recently met. Personally, you have never really heard much about the mysterious place. You have only heard it from your friend once when they were discussing yet another unsolved mystery of some kind. You really had only that to go off of. As you've set on doing your research out in the living room after eating some food, your sleepy friend trudges into the room having just presumably woken up. Your friend stretches up their arm as they near you.

"Decided to sleep in?" You strike up the conversation.

Your friend nods a small bit, "Yeah, I'm surprised you didn't, especially after last night." They plop down on the sofa, on the far side, seeing as you were getting things situated on the other.

"Yeah, I just thought I would be more productive I guess. I'm thinking of doing some more research on places we should visit. I mean, we shouldn't have to rely on Mark for everything." You replied maneuvering your laptop and laptop charger over onto the aforementioned furniture. Your friend hummed in agreement,

"Fair. I think I'm gonna take a look at this hotel myself later, maybe take a walk. I've been thinking of going to that chill lobby room you saw. Maybe I will find myself a special someone." They teased you about Mark once more. You rolled your eyes in defense and shook your head in disagreement at the ridiculous claim.

This is not a fanfiction, let alone a fairy tale where somebody would sweep you off your feet. You refused. After everything was in working order, your friend chose to finally go and get some breakfast. Before settling in, you go to your room to grab your Bluetooth headphones/ earbuds, in case you were going to try to search on Youtube. You log in to your laptop and go to your search engine to begin your research on the mansion. After letting that load you also open a notepad window, to write down anything important that you come across. You first decide to simply search up, **_Markiplier Manor_** To see if anything on the building would show. To your surprise, you find quite a bit of info on the place. Apparently, the place is known for people to disappear, the first recorded case of this being sometime in the 1930s. Your brow pinched together in thought, this was gonna become something more, you could tell. You try to find if there is any information on who exactly went missing during that time, speculating that perhaps the first group that had gone would have something to maybe do with the **_"Truth"_**. From what you could search there were around 2 people who went missing around Autumn during that time, though there were probably more. It was somewhat of a challenge to discover their identities. You were able to find some things though. Apparently, the mayor and district attorney went missing during that time. They were well known due to their social status. The public only became aware when one of the people who were close to both the mayor and attorney spoke out about it. The person in question was a colleague of theirs. The individual spoke out when she became concerned that her coworkers did not show up after sharing how they would be gone over the week for a gathering at an old friend's place [Markiplier Manor], saying how they would be at least back by the week after. After reading the article on the matter you skim over it again, trying to spot a name to attach to the mayor or district attorney, to hopefully find out more. You soon stumble onto the name Damien. Yet for some obscure reason, you could not find any other name

To attach to the DA. There was a name for the mayors, so why was there no name on the attorney's, especially if they worked alongside someone as well-known as him. You purse your lips together, before heaving out a sigh. After finding that all, you relay important bits into the document you loaded earlier, along with the address to the place finding it with ease thanks to the small community of people who discussed the case. Before going on to another topic, you look through the image tab to see what the mansion looked like, in its prime or not. When acknowledging the building online, it brought you a wave of familiarity, something like Deja vu. You were troubled from the weight of the emotions.

After seeing enough, you in a haste, click out of the tab, opening a new one and closing the last one seconds after. You had no clue on what to feel.

The next thing you try to search up is, **_Damien the mayor_**. You find very little documentation on him, only a couple of old news reports on some types of scandals that happened at that time months prior.

After some internal debating, you move on to youtube, to see if you could find anything else. Once more you type in Markiplier Manor and begin to scavenge for anything new. The countless slog of videos you watched held nothing ground-breaking. There was no clarity. So, you move onto a different tactic, you try to search into videos with lower views. It was a long shot sure but hey, you had little clue on what else to do. Suddenly, you caught a breakthrough. It was an old video clip, judging from the thumbnail. Something drew you to it so you click it. It looked to be a video from that time period, filmed during it. With what time it was from, the video is degraded, choppy, and in terrible shape. It was a video of...the news? You could tell because of the pixelated, glitching heap of text pasted in the corner of the video. It read JIM news. There looked to be the reporter, and a cameraman following him. It looked like they were exploring the mansion, trying to report on a case. From the distorted footage, you can make out them filming the inside of the house. They were mostly filming the area of which a possible murder took place, acknowledged by the tape placed on the oak flooring of where presumably a body once laid, along with cones and caution tape strung up by wooden poles placed around it. A little later the camera panned to what was seemingly a detective as they made their way around the property.

Your brow furrows in thought, taking in the scene. The guy to you reminded you of something, you did not know what though. You could not think about it for too long as not only did the thought drift on, so did the camera.

The man immediately took notice of the intruders from inside, which from what you could tell, prompted the two to run off. The video cuts off from there for a few seconds before it returns to them walking inside the place, staying low as they called it. The video lags and freezes for a moment or two on a frame, though the youtube video showed it still running. It catches up after that and shows them introducing themselves as Jim. They bring up the crime scene, explaining how a body resided there before moving over to a poker table and finding a gun. In the low audio quality, you swear you could hear him call it, 'A shooty.' The video then abruptly ends. You found yourself just looking at your screen confused.

You were in awe. Numerous questions flooded your head. Was the detective person involved in this somehow? Did he also disappear? Why the hell were reporters on a private property catching this all? Were there more videos? You immediately check the channel, it described itself as an archive of supposed 'lost media'. You go back to the video soon after, scrolling to the comments, was anyone talking about this? To your disbelief and disappointment, there was nothing. It sadly checked out due to the low view count. You closed out the window after checking the time, it was around 1:30 PM at that point, you had been on your laptop for a few hours. You save the notepad once you bring yourself to note down what you witnessed. In the end, you choose to take a break, not only to eat but to also gather your swarming thoughts. You close the laptop as you stand to stretch. You turn off the Bluetooth device as well and place it beside the pc. You text your friend to answer where they were as you walk to your room, preparing to get ready if necessary. Within seconds they respond, they are downstairs in the chill room. You grab your bag after tossing on some comfy clothing of your choice before venturing on. Once you make it down, you spot them over by one of the tables spread out across the place. You catch up with them as you eat some food you ordered, being vague with what exact "locations" you found for you and your friend to eventually visit. White lies slipped out of you with shocking ease, you could not tell them everything yet. A part of you felt slightly guilty just as last night, though for a completely different reason you'd suppose. The conversation wrapped up when you finished your meal. You leave back upstairs to finish and refine notes and research. As you walk to the couch you notice an envelope on the coffee table near it. You gingerly pick it up, already aware of who it's from, taking a guess from the cursive engraved writing of your name on it. You opened it with quick-succession and started to read.

**_Hello (Y/N), I do hope the research you are conducting is proving advantageous. I do wish to apologize, finding as you are discovering a lot to take in. Perhaps I should have been more forthcoming. Nevertheless, I hope the rest of it goes smoothly._ ** **_  
_ ** **_I will see you in person in due time, but for now, however, I will see you tonight whilst you dream._ **

**_From,_ **

**_D_ **

_He could have been less cryptic for sure. At least he acknowledged that..._

You shake your head a bit, a small breathy chuckle of slight disbelief from everything you have found the past week, things were setting in. You were here for a break from everything, instead...Not anymore. You place the letter, after tucking the note back in the envelope, into one of the drawers built into the bedside table in your room to keep it out of sight from your current roommate. You return back to the living room to continue onwards, nestling back into the couch. You take a deep breath, clearing your head before you start to look through your notes.


	12. (Chapter 11)

Before shutting things down for the night, as it was around 8:45 pm at that point, you find a way to contact the archive channel you discovered earlier. You were going to find out if there were any more recordings from the Jim News. You chose to message the account owner through their Twitter, DMing them.

You type out the following: **Hello - I was wondering if you have found any more video footage of the Jim News. The history surrounding the Manor intrigued me, so I wanted to find answers. You seem like you may have more information, and if so it will be greatly appreciated. If you reply, thank you for your time. I hope you have an amazing day/ night.**

Once content with what you typed off, it was sent. You proceeded to move from the couch and migrate everything back to your room. Luckily you were able to do so swiftly, thankfully not having many belongings over in that area. You decided to be responsible and grab a quick dinner before going to bed, and head down. While waiting for the elevator you reflect again on the information you presently had. After you returned to uncovering the 'truth' you found a couple more things. For starters, the man who owned the manor was in fact named Mark with the last name Iplier. He had taken a career in film, more specifically the branch involving acting. He was also as well known as the mayor and district attorney, obviously with the fact he owned such a place. Mark as well was friends with Damien and the DA. After starring in some major roles at the time and making something grand of himself for a few years he suddenly went quiet, both supposedly with other celebrities, friends, and the public eye. He apparently was going through a divorce with his spouse, Celine during that time but no one was aware of the reason why. It is fairly expected with the provided context given that the divorce is what made the actor go dark. Another interesting thing is that it was speculated at the time that his late-wife was related to the mayor. This would make sense as she shared a similar look to Damien, and Mark meeting her through him when asked about it after making the relationship public. Something that caught your attention with the whole situation is that the date on which both the DA and Mayor left were nearly a year or so after when Mark had the divorce. Everything was odd to you, especially when also considering the footage found as well. The whole gathering had gone astray because of something horrible that took place over that weekend. Something from that mansion caused the creation of Dark. With the pieces you have gathered, the people missing, the host going silent, the sudden invitation, AND the murder that most likely took place that week? You could only infer, perhaps it all had something to do with the entity. A sudden ding from the elevator breaks you from your jumbled thoughts. You step in, clicking the button that leads to your destination in mind.

Surprisingly, your friend still lingered downstairs, talking to someone. You let your lips tug up to a smile, proud of them. You check in on the two after watching them both converse for a while after buying and waiting for your meal. You exchange pleasantries and move your friend out of earshot from the guy, creating a quick excuse.

"Who is he?" You whispered, curious.

They fill you in, simply a person they met while relaxing at the bar.

You inquire again, "Got the guy's number?" They nod their head with joy.

"Yep! He's pretty cool, not too bad of a guy."

You are about to continue the conversation when you are cut off, your order called and complete. You grab it and let your friend go back to befriending the person. When you finished eating your friend coincidentally began to wrap up their talk with the bar patron before meeting you over by the elevator where you stood waiting for it once more. You talk with them, picking up the conversation from the small meetup you had with them prior, seeing how the rest of their evening was. When asked what you did for the rest of the day, you continued with your story on research on L.A. When returned to your room with (BF/N) in tow, you chose to call in early, seeing as you would have a lot to discuss with Dark. They are cool with it and wish you goodnight before going off to watch their favorite show and do whatever else. You made sure everything was neat before smothering yourself under the bedding to go to sleep.

When the familiar unease settled within you, you cracked open your eyes. Again, in the abyss, you were summoned. Upon awakening, you are easily able to find the entity this time around after your blurred vision begins to clear up some. He is stood in front of your view. He is still a ways away from you, however, this immediately changing as he noted your movement, again like last time. You stand up, making your way to him as did him.

"I...Received your note." You for the first time sparked the conversation. "T-The apology..it was appreciated."

A small hint of a smile graced his lips with a short nod in agreement, **"I'd think so. On that matter, I am truly sorry for any confusion that you may have encountered. Everything that occurred...It is truly unfathomable."**

"It is." You sighed before running a hand through your hair, a habit of yours when stressed. As per usual, you'd both eventually walk through the empty void with you explaining your findings to him.

"I honestly find it strange how the mayor and DA went missing. The detective that possibly met a similar fate? It's all strange really." You ramble on about your discoveries, Dark taking in everything as you speak. At certain moments, you would notice him tense up, jaw clenched and all. The heaviness in your upper torso would intensify with each slight indication of anger. Whatever that happened, he must have had _some_ familiarity with it all to provoke such a reaction. You refused to comment on his body language, or question the pangs of dejection you'd face. After finishing your explanation on the research, Dark hums in response before speaking, the same echoey glitch with his words.

 **"I will admit...I am quite surprised at the abundance of information laid out there. What occurred.."** He hesitated, seemingly debating whether to finish his sentence or not, before continuing, **"Was disastrous. Events happened that should have not."** When he finished talking, you swore you could hear a hint of sorrow, but it was quickly covered up with him clearing his throat. **"Anyhow now that you understand certain...circumstances, I should let you be aware of why I need your..assistance."**

"Alright.." you respond with a shaky exhale, a bit nervous. You have been waiting for this, and you had no clue what this would do. He stopped walking, giving you no chance to find some distraction to settle your anxiety. You locked eyes with him when he answered the question.

**"I need you to keep an eye on Mark."**


	13. (Chapter 12)

Your brow raised in surprise, making your eyes widen with it. Your breath caught in the back of your throat as well in the process, making it difficult to respond to what he said. Your brain short-circuited to top it off, if only a moment, before returning with questions spewing out at such a speed that you could not find the courage to say any of it aloud.

_Mark? Like the Mark, I know? Why Mark? Did he do something wrong? What do you mean? How? What are you-_

During this, Dark did not interrupt you, letting you take it in. You forced yourself to break from your whirlwind of thoughts, and could only reply by repeating his words.

¨Watch over...Mark?" You slowly remarked, as if it would make more sense by doing so. He did not interrupt your flurry of thoughts, letting you take it in.

**"Correct. I need you to simply keep an eye on him, keep a note of any...odd behavior."**

"What? Why?" You were able to speak more clearly, somewhat more confident, now that you have your bearings.

He thought for a short second and exhaled a puff of air before answering, **"As of now, I want to simply know what he's up to nowadays."**

"You know him?"

 **"I have the misfortune. We have...a history to say the least."** His voice held a bitter edge to it **.** His shell flicked and reacted much more to mentioning that. He clenched his jaw if only momentarily, before changing his demeanor in a split second, like a switch. His aura was now much less disturbed.

_Not a very good one it seems_

You thought before turning your eyesight to the stygian ground below. Doing so you did not notice his minimal reaction to your words. He scowled before shaking it off. More pressing matters currently. As you contemplated, you found yourself leaning towards agreeing...but you had to ask one thing before making a possible life-changing choice. You had to be rational about this.

"This won't...hurt anyone? Just gather information?" You found the strength to look in his direction, making eye contact with his inky gaze. By that point, he looked to be studying you, trying to read you.

 **"I can assure you this, there will be no harm to anyone.** ** _He_** **won't get hurt. I just need you to keep a watch over him, and report your findings back to me."** He calmly spoke, adjusting his suit while maneuvering his head to the side, cracking his neck.

After his answer, you weighed your options before coming to your conclusion. You never knew what compelled you to agree, but it felt...okay to do so (despite the slight weight you held in your body) ...maybe you were meant to.

"Okay...I'll do it."

His lips tugged upwards, pleased by your agreement. **"Good choice."**

After a beat, you both returned to walking through the empty void. You could not stop rethinking what just freshly took place. You knew you had a purpose, use for him. That was the whole point of it, yet it still bothered you. He said you were an important piece of a puzzle. You had a small feeling this would be more than just keeping tabs on a recent new found friend. Speaking of friend, Mark. How would you even pry into his life like that? You only knew so much, hell what you only knew was scratching the surface with Dark too. You know of his origins, even if not the whole picture. You were on vacation with your friend too...How will you balance any of this? Were you in over your head? Why-

**"(Y/N)."**

His echoed voice screeched your racing mind to a halt, by his tone, it was serious. You turn to the side to him and see him not there, and quickly see that you are a bit behind him. Seeing as you got sidetracked which slowed your speed, you run to catch up, your face warming up with embarrassment all the while. He probably knew you were wrapped up in your mind, lost with stress.

 **"Everything will be alright."** His voice softened a bit. He was aware, judging by his words.

"I...hope so." Was all you could lamely come up with.

He cleared his throat before speaking again, taking no further auditory projection from you as a sign to change the subject. Perhaps a lighter topic would be more suitable. **"Anywhere you'd like to go?"** His voice returned to its usual tone.

You contemplate, choosing a somewhat similar layout as of last time. A field with a lake. You weren't ever too creative or exciting about where you wanted to go. By request, the world began to slowly morph and take on the appearance you desired. Grass moved from the blank ground, seemingly poofing into existence. As last time, a blanket lay spread out atop of the fake grass, this time near a lake, however. The lake was a medium-size, not infinite as the field, as you could see an end to it. When peering into the rippled waters, calmly sloshing around, you notice how it looks. Unlike the surrounding ground, the water was a deep murky grey, contrasting from the lighter colored grass. The depth of the lake seemed to go on forever, endless. A sudden rush of consternation swept through you, the image of falling into the mysterious lake taking a hold of you. You try to push off the fear expanding in your gut, shoving the thoughts aside as well, before moving to the blanket to sit down next to Dark, who was watching you with curiosity. Being away from the water eased you some, being on land grounded you. You stared into the distance, trying to keep yourself together. You were going to be fine. This was nothing.

For the rest of your time spent together, you both kept to yourselves. Dark did not talk to you much, which you were okay with. You shifted your focus to another topic to keep your mind busy, what were you going to do in the waking world? Would you get a reply from the account? Will you venture to the Manor at some point during your trip? What were you going to do? As you slowly pieced everything together, you noticed the wave of sleepiness wash over you. Your mind was losing steam. When stifling a yawn, Dark looked over at you.

 **"I see it's time for you to go. Remember what we discussed. Be aware, alert."** He warned lowly, seeing how you would need to sleep to wake up. You gave a half nod, finding yourself more exhausted by the minute. When you fell asleep on the blanket, as before Dark stands and makes the world dissipate with a wave of his hand. As he does so he murmurs, to himself.

**"Be careful."**


	14. (Chapter 13)

You stare up at the ceiling, taking a short moment to process everything that just went down. Keep an eye on Mark...Your glazed stare is broken when your phone buzzes out a notification. You sluggishly sit up, still sleepy, before reaching out your arm to snatch your phone off the side table. Speaking of the devil, it was a message from Mark.

M - Good morning! Quick question! What are your views on video games?

You blink at the text trying to find the energy to respond. 

Y - Morning! They're okay, why?

M - There's this arcade I've been wanting to check out, thought since it's how we met...that maybe you would like to go? You can also bring your friend with you of course! Don't want to keep you all to myself!

Y - Alright, I'm down. Time and place?

M - Sometime later this week? I've been meaning to get some work done, you know how it is.

Y - Fair, okay I'll be sure to let (BF/N) know.

M - Cool.

There were no texts after that, so you moved on. Your eye catches sight of a red notification on your twitter app. You tap it, letting it load for a brief second before moving to your message inbox, which holds the same dot in the upper corner.

It was a reply from the channel. You can't help the grin that tugs up your lips, you were curious yet excited. More answers!

ArchiveofEras - Hello, thank you for reaching out. I indeed do have more footage, but it's only short snippets. Currently I'm trying to recover the film, clean it up a bit. I do have what you're looking for, but you may have to wait a bit. That cool with you?

Yes! This is what you needed!

Y - That is chill with me! Thank you for replying, very cool.

And with that, you went on with your life. You got the okay from your friend, and they also agreed to accompany you. Over the passing days you and your friend further traveled through L.A stopping at any cool places that peaked your interests. It was an amazing time being able to spend time together, it felt like old times. In the day, you lived freely.

During the night, you would continue your usual meeting with the prince of darkness himself. You would simply catch up with him, even explaining some quality tales from your day in the waking world. He would always patiently listen, you even saw him crack a small smile sometimes, or even a chuckle. It was strangely nice, for such a serious person to let loose. Certain nights you found him easier to be around then others depending on his mood. There was a time when he was more cold, angry even. Though you could tell it was never directed at you, it still stung a bit. Whenever his shell split it would only worsen the ache in you. Currently though, it was the night before your scheduled day out.

You both sat in an opening free of the trees surrounding the two of you, yet another place you decided on.

You take a deep breath before breaking the white noise between you.

"Looks like this is it...Before everything changes..." You peak at him from the corner of your eye, eyeing his reaction.

"Indeed. I'm sure you'll do fine. You're capable." His orbs flicker over to you.

You look down at the silver grass, and lightly pet the ground, considering what to say.

"Yeah...Just gotta keep my cool." You mumble the last part under your breath, a reminder on what was to come.

You laid down on the spread after, looking up to the fake starry sky. Without thinking you blurt, "It's nice that there are stars here, even if not real...not much in Los Angeles, or (T/N)."

He looked down to you before raising his own gaze to the sky above. "Are the stars really that intriguing?"

You squint at him, mock offended. "The galaxy is amazing! There are so many cool things about it! They help light up the night sky, add something special to the night!"

"Not when you have been around as long as I. It loses its charm after a few decades."

Your eyes nearly pop out of your skull while you lift your head up some, swiveling it to look at him, "How long?!"

A glint of amusement sparked in his eye for a minute before it slowly dimmed. His demeanor shifted down.

"Too long." His tone was grim. There was a weight to his words, perhaps even your heart at that.

After his comment you both returned to yourselves, staring at the cloud-less scenery above you. You did not know how to reply. This revelation makes sense considering the date of the Manor's events. This just further brings up the question of what really happened. After a couple minutes, you felt the familiar pull of sleep tug at your eyelids. With a tired sound you curl up. With the shift next to him, he notices your exhaustion.

"Good luck (Y/N)."

The beep of your alarm sends you out of your peaceful slumber. You jerk awake taking a deep gulp of air, your heart accelerated from the sudden noise. You set the alarm in case you would overstay your visit with Dark. You fumble with the phone, still slightly shaken up from the intrusion. You eventually find the dismiss button and spam it. It shuts off. You even out your breathing before moving out of bed. This was an important day. You check the time as you stretch, it was around 9:45 am. You had time to kill as you all decided to go at around 11:30. You walk into the living room to grab some leftovers from one of your past adventures. You plop into the dining chair as you eat. A bit later your friend wanders out of their room, sleepy as usual. They join you with their own food. After you both finish, you're in the middle of cleaning up the table, when your friend sparks the conversation.

"You know, I've been doing some thinking...and I think this would be a cool idea."

You turn as you toss the paper plate in the trash and give a small nod for them to go on.

"You know that manor that I've told you about? When I was into unsolved stuff?" You freeze unintentionally. It took you a couple of seconds to conjure up a reply. You move your head in recognition to what they brought up.

They thought your response was off but did not want to pry. They slightly raised a brow however. "Well since Halloween is around the corner, we can visit the place!"

"Wouldn't that be trespassing possible private property?" You were already thinking of going at some point, you just did not want them to be involved.

Not only that but haven't people gone missing? Also not to mention that whole poker night gone astray-

"Maybe." They give an innocent shrug. "That adds to the thrill and chills of it though! If I told you I wanted to bring you along for not only a vacation but to see this manor? Would you have agreed?"

"No- yes...Maybe? L-look I don't know!" You helplessly retorted.

"See! Look, if you really don't want to go I can go by myself-"

"NO!" You shouted, your friend looked surprised by your outburst. N-No I mean...I'll come with." That won you over, the sneaky person (BF/N) was. "When were you thinking of going?"

"Sometime within the next few days." You mentally noted that to tell Dark later. You make up an excuse to leave the room and conversation, you need to think. You close the door within seconds of entering your room. You lean against the door as a troubled sigh leaves you. You couldn't help but curse under your breath. More complications, your favorite. Who knows though, maybe it would not be so bad? As long as you did not have a meltdown you'd be fine. Dark probably did not reside there... did he?

...

your eyes darted around the room as you think. You were overthinking this, as usual. You inhale a long breath before exhaling. One thing at a time. Your phone vibrates on the nightstand. You move to it, lifting the screen to your vision. It was another text from Mark.

M - We still on for today? Just want to make sure.

One thing at a time.

Y - Of course! Do you want me to get (BF/N) to drive us on over to meet you there or?

M - I don't see why not. I'll be sure to meet you guys there!

Y - Awesome, can't wait to see you!

You shut off the device and set it down before moving the closet, where your clothes lived. To get your mind off things you decided to get ready early, better now than later. You chose a cozy sweater and a random pair of pants to complete your look. You were still restless by the time you had your outfit together and worked to build up your confidence to face the day for the remaining minutes that followed. You could do this...Dark believed in you...

Your friend knocks before you allow them in, seeing as they were also dressed you could only assume it was time. Time to see Mark.


	15. (Chapter 14)

Your friend's car was parked near the side of the building, looking the same as when you arrived. Interesting how long it has been. You open the passenger side door once (BF/N) unlocks the vehicle. Your friend turns the key into the ignition once you both buckle up causing an audible purr to emit from the engine. The car pulls out from the designated spot and off it goes. You set up the address on your GPS and hook it up to the Bluetooth of the car. It was not too chaotic of a drive, not taking too long since the traffic that was there was few and far between. You look out the window at the blur of colors that mesh together, different cars passing by on their way to their jobs, meetings, or whatever else. You deliberate as you stare off on what to say and do at the arcade, without seeming too out of character, not only to Mark but (BF/N). You did not fail to notice the slight raise of their brow earlier, you hoped they would not question you later. A small tap on your shoulder brings you back from your mind.

"We're here."

You give a noise of acknowledgment as you step out from the car, the outside of the building is what you would expect. There's a sign above the door with the title that reads **_'Gamer zone'._** There's a LED sign that reads open that is not currently lit, the sign also is made from a similar materiel. On one of the doors it also reads the days of which the arcade was open. There are some windows attached to the building, but not much as the interior of arcades are usually dark. You push open the door and leave it open for your friend to enter before you. At the entrance, there was a gate with an employee. After going through the process of paying a small fee and getting a stamp on your wrist that is only seen under a blacklight, you go searching for Mark as your friend goes explore the rest of the place. Before you both split you agree to meet by the counter when Mark is found, which holds prizes for any tickets you won if you so choose, or to get your dollars converted to change. Behind the counter were prizes that have yet to be won in a long while, as some of them were not just crazy expensive, certain cheap items costing a good 1000 or more, but they looked old in a way, like they have seen better days. You scan your eyes for the dark haired man, no longer looking at the counter. Your eyes were slightly squinted as if it would somehow assist you.

"(Y/N)?" The baritone voice comes from behind you. You turn to see Mark, a grin plastered on, with a slight bright gleam in his eyes reflected from the machines surrounding the two of you. He was again wearing his CLOAK branded shirt, but it was more of a sweater than a hoodie this time around, with some jeans with his usual pair of lace-less shoes to match. You mirror his expression, his smile was infectious.

"Hey Mark, how've you been?"

"Not terrible. Just been a busy couple days. It's nice to take a break from it all." He shifted his weight to lean a bit with his other leg. One hand was on his hip, the other gesturing as he spoke. "I should be the one asking you that, it's been awhile. You doing alright? You look a bit better since we last talked, in person anyway." He rambled on.

After a brief pause, to gather your thoughts you come up with what to say, "Everythings been nice. These past few days me and (BF/N) have been exploring more of L.A." You really were.

"Glad to hear it! I saved us a table near the counter." He motioned to said table. You walk over to set your stuff down, it was a booth seat. You notice mark had a bag of his own. It held a simplistic design, a small black backpack, with some cross-stitching that made a small repeating diamond pattern make up most of the back of it.

"Did not know you had a bag of your own."

He hums before responding, "Yeah it's just to keep my wallet and camera, and whatever else necessities in there, never know when you might need it."

_Camera?_

You would need to ask about that later. And you would because suddenly your friend chimes into the conversation.

"What were you two up to?" They playfully remarked. Lovely.

"Just catching up with my dearest friend!" Mark exclaimed, nudging my arm as he stood by you.

A gentle spike of deja vu pricked at the back of your head, a short heaviness following in your gut, in an instant it disappeared as if nothing occurred.

_What..._

You mentally tally the feeling with the long list of other abnormal happenings since Dark. You bottle away the confusion in a box, shoving it aside, a tight smile returns to your lips, erasing the prior physically present confliction that appeared. "Yep! Just catching up." You strain a small laugh. A small amount of concern creeped onto Marks face before covering it up with a nervous chuckle. Your friend just looked at you with suspension.

_Play it off...crap_

You awkwardly fake a cough before changing the subject, "Soooo...Arcade games?"

After getting your quarters from the counter, they put the money in a small translucent plastic container to not lose them, letting you scribe your name onto the cup, you all decide to split up. Your main goal was to rack up as many tickets as you can, to at least earn something, even if it was a trinket. You all decided once you spend all your coins that you would combine your tickets to help get a better advantage to get something that would not break once you would exit the building. You start at something you were somewhat okay at, Skeeball. The machine's colorful symbols helped the thing stand out. The numbers that read the score per each hole stood out from the grey and blue color scheme of the inside of the device. Outlining the interior were some electronic lights to further make it stand out. It glowed a vibrant red.

_Kinda reminds me of Dark_

You let your lips tug up a bit as you lean down and give 50 cents to it. After pressing the button above the coin slot, the balls roll down from its chamber, around 5 spheres, all a black color. You swiftly grab one from the middle of the row before taking a short second to ready your aim to get a good score. With a toss the ball floats up into one of the 5,000 point holes. You repeat your action as quickly as possible, simply wanting to gain as many points as you could in a 60 second time span. Before you know it the game lets out a beep to alert you of time running out. You look at your score. It was a good score, around 20,000 something, nearing the 30,000 mark. You lift your fist down to yourself, muttering a triumphant yes. A row of tickets spit out, which you collect. You mumbled a thank you to the machine as you fold the tickets into a stack to place in your cup. You move on, wondering if you should return to it later.

The next one you decided on was the Mega Stacker, the game held a similar color palette as the prior system, using darker colors to help it fit with the space type theme the arcade was going for, The building was using minimal lighting by using a softer lighting as overhead lights, and had the arcade lights be used to also help guide your way through the aisles. You pop the cents in and prepare yourself for the possible rigged experience you may face, no going back now. You tap the only button on the control pad. The few couple lines are simple, going at a snail's pace to help you get a feel for the game mechanics. When it hits the 6th row out of the 12 that you are supposed to get, shit gets real. You follow the pace at the speed the rectangle of squares go, pushing the button down when you feel it is appropriate to. Each one is tougher than the last, gaining a raise in momentum.

You are at the last stretch, your palms sweaty from the nervous energy flowing through your veins from the pressure really set in. You had 2 more to go, before you could either continue on to get a higher reward or get a good line of tickets. You take a deep breath, steeling yourself before you take a ballsy move and pat down the switch without thinking, to your luck, it made it! One last one, you were not gonna risk losing all your progress by moving forward. You worked too hard to make it this far. Right when you think it was over the tower, you press it...

**_. . ._ **

One square did not make it.

Your face drained of color, paling before a yell cries out from your throat, "NOO!"

Just like that, the tower of cubes crumbled, reducing to dust, like the soul you once had. "Fuck!" You curse at the machine, putting your forehead on the hand that was still on the control. So much trouble all for something so small. To your credit, _some_ tickets spewed out, and by some you mean a measly 7 tickets, not the line you got from the other machine. Reality was often disappointing.

Unbeknownst to you, Mark was nearby, sitting on one of the 4 seats for a random racing game, a knowing look on his features, he had not started his game yet. "You okay (N/N)?" He asked oh so innocently.

You glare at him, "Don't even!" You grumble, not even answering his question.

The echo of Marks giggling follows you as you stomp off.


	16. (Chapter 15)

You shake your head with a sigh of disapproval towards Mark as you step away, searching for a new game. You knew what you were in for with your past choice, you were bound to face issues, especially with such an unfair, crappy-

You harshly exhale through your nose with a mutter to yourself, you have to move on.

You do cool down slightly as you stride down the middle of rows upon rows of different games, glancing at each machine with interest before going on when not satisfied. There was so much to choose from, all sorts of genres ranging from a regular basic old-school arcade game, or some wacky modern one. So much to choose. You soon settle your gaze on another ticket winning game. You shrug to yourself before waltzing over to it to observe the game.

It illuminated strongly, with what looked to be a lock layout atop the base of the console. In the middle of the shape, held a screen, which read how much money it took to play the game. Like last time there seemed to be only one button. Perhaps you may do better this time? On the pixelated text, it does imply a high number of tickets you could win if you succeeded at passing all 50 dots. You push in a coin after getting situated. It took you a couple of tries to get it, but eventually, you began to understand the mechanics. There was a circle, and as mentioned earlier these dots would appear at random, to which the small line that would spin around the circle would move over it. You would have to time your inputs wisely, as with the prior arcade game. When the line passed over the spot, you would tap it. There was something interesting, however. When you pass a level, the line would change directions, and sometimes the sporadic placement of the speck would throw you off your rhythm.

You succeeded at that time, getting a more significant amount of tickets. After your victory, you moved on. It went like this for a while, winning some and losing others, until you decided to take a quick break at the booth you all claimed, wanting to make a quick count of currency you had left. You huff as you plop down on the cushioned seat, across from the bags you and Mark brought. You shut your eyes to get your thoughts together, before staring down the clear plastic container. Unfortunately, your mind decided to wander instead of counting the coins. You were having a nice time, besides earlier. What was that about anyway? Acknowledging you were not gonna find out how much you had left, you move your eyes to quickly skim around the room, finding Mark chatting with another person, laughing along with whatever the person said. You let a tiny smile unravel. He seemed happy, being playful with his competitor. It seemed you reached the tail end of their interaction, and as soon the person walked away after they finished the game and shook hands, Mark caught your eye. He stepped in your direction, his hands finding their way to his jean pockets.

He gently grinned at you before speaking. "You seem in better spirits." Mark's warm voice spoke out.

You glanced away, embarrassed. He moved both personal items a bit away from the edge of the seat, so he would have room to sit across from you.

With your eyes still averted, gazing at the dimmed table, you quietly reply. "Yeah. Sorry for how I reacted. Earlier...I mean."

He dismissed it, still with the same grin. "It's okay. Happens to the best of us. Hell, I've had some moments of my own as of late." He chuckled at that. "Not gonna lie, some of the games here are total bull."

You released a small laugh of your own. He was right. That's why you didn't win that stacker.

"You right. Hey though, some things are worth it."

He pondered before he sent a small nod with his head to you in agreement, his fingers now starting to drum the table silently. "Indeed...Quick question, how much change do you have left?"

You properly count your money.

"A good bit left. Why?"

"You wanna do a competition?"

You finally look at him, there's a glint of something in his eye. Mischief perhaps?

"Maybe. What stakes?"

"Best amount of points? Whoever wins the most, buys the other, something from that stand. If we have enough tickets left of course. If not then we can always go with something else." He points to the prize counter.

"All that for a trinket?" You shrug with a hum as if you were considering it. Seemed innocent enough. "Alright. Sounds fair."

He sticks out his hand suddenly, "So, we got a deal?" He shares a crooked smile towards you.

"I don't see why not." You shake his hand, his grip gentle but firm enough, you failed to notice his smile widening a tad afterward.

"Good." He began to move from his seat, about to stand once releasing your hand.

You hesitated before standing up to follow him, questioning yourself whether you should even bring it up or not, it still intrigued you.

_The camera..._

"Mark?" He was nearly free after slipping his body from the booth but stopped when you said his name. He turned his head to face you. With his attention on you, It was hard to talk.

"Um...Hope this does not sound weird but- I...You mentioned you brought a...A c-camera with you?" You stumbled over your convoluted words, trying to transcribe your thoughts to him on the subject. You did not want to sound like you were being rude or interrogating him.

The question nearly got caught in your throat from nerves. 

_Why am I bad at this?_

"A camera?" He processed your question, looking slightly confused before he parted his mouth, releasing a small o of sorts. "Ah, you mean the one I brought with me." He didn't sound fazed, surprising you. He swiveled back into the booth, before bringing both arms upon the table, leaning a tad further. Mark quietly sighed, ruffling a hand through his wavy hair, before speaking further. "I assume you're curious why I brought one with me?"

Your face burned more, you nervously nodded.

"Yeah...I uh...well-" This is where he faltered and paused to compose himself, "I do video blogging." He smiles sheepishly at that.

With seeing his reaction, it oddly made you feel a bit better, and you were able to get your shit together, becoming more confident. This was Mark, easy peasy.

"Something like...Youtube?" You took a stab at it, thinking about how it was L.A after all.

With a nudge of his head, it was confirmed. It did kind of make sense, to you at least. The grand home, the camera, hell maybe even the cloak brand you have seen him wear from time to time. It connected.

He awaited your response as you dwelled over it, after a quiet few seconds as you absorbed the new information, you noticed him shift slightly. Was he regretting telling you?

You send an accepting smile his way, hoping to ease him. "That's...actually pretty cool. I'd imagine it would be hard to achieve, that's good. Pretty inspiring, at least to me anyway." You move one of your hands to your neck, fidgeting a bit yourself. You weren't lying when it came to it being inspiring, hell even admirable. Doing a job like that, from what you have read from the media, and even have sometimes seen, can be challenging. You respected that.

At your pleasantry, he glows a bit.

"Thank you. You're too kind, really." He shrugs it off, still with a gentle look on his face.

"I try." You shrugged.

With that, you both moved on to the competition. Sometimes you would sprinkle in inquiries about his career for further info, and because you were interested in how things worked. He would answer, some explanations more detailed than others. You both went back and forth, as you challenged each other at all sorts of games. First starting with a racing game, then going to a first-person shooter game, and so on. You decided to use a note app on your phone to keep note of not only your scores, but to sometimes quickly jot down important notes on what he was saying. Mark was ahead of you by some hundred points. He was competitive, taking it with surprising seriousness, at least 80 percent of the time, using the other 20 percent to crack jokes and poke fun at you when not answering your billion questions, seeing what would make you tick and lose your concentration. Your eyes narrowed at Mark's triumphant shout in victory, seeing as there was no space left on your side in the Tetris game, causing your downfall.

"That was such bull!" You protest, pulling a hand through your locks before slapping it back on the joystick that helped you move it from left to right, your other hand still resting its fingers upon the rotation buttons.

"What was that (Y/N)? Couldn't hear you as I tune out losers!"

You scoff, that didn't even make sense, good comeback sure, still a bunch of shit. You voiced this, to which he only grinned more.

You both pull away from the machine, you pouting from your loss.

"Oh cheer up (N/N)! We win some and lose some!" He tossed his arm around your shoulder, something that was common.

Your jaw tightened, causing you to grind your teeth more in stress and frustration. You bopped his hand off your shoulder, thinking he would take the hint. Nope, he still had that smug look on his stupid face. You narrowed your gaze, trying to send sharp daggers his way in hopes that he would shut the fuck-

"What about this game? Or do you wanna call it quits?"

"Fine." You wiggle both hands a bit, collecting yourself, you had to win this one. Mark may gloat about it for days afterwards if not.

In the end...you found some victory, to which at first Mark, before accepting, told you to re-check the numbers 'just in case'. Who woulda thought. Your smile took up half of your face, you were not expecting that.

"We win some, and we lose some Mark." That is what you said after you found out your win. It was totally worth it after seeing his reaction.

After getting over his loss, he placed a hand on one of your shoulders and finally congratulated you. "I will admit...You weren't too bad out there. Good job (Y/N)."

As soon as you both were able to, you both stopped by the booth to wait for your friend. At this point you both were on your phones, doing whatever to keep yourselves occupied when you thought up one last thing to ask him.

"What's the name of your channel?"

"It's a little embarrassing, buttttt... " He dragged out his last word and placed his phone down on the table, using a finger to double-tap it and turn it off. "It's Markiplier."

You freeze, and unbeknownst to you your shoulders visibly stiffen. Not a good look. You try to relax at the sudden wave of feelings, you aren't sure what to think. You were totally overthinking this. A coincidence, surely...

You nod a short bit, in interest, mentally face palming at your obvious discomfort that shined through. "How did you come up with it?"

_Get your shit together (L/N)_

He still looked a bit concerned and even startled by your body language, his brow creased as he studied your movements. Though he pauses this when talking. "It's a mixture of Mark, my name, and multiplayer. I usually play video games on my channel, let's plays usually."

To shatter the tension you quickly retort with a roast. "I thought you would be better at some of the things we played if so."

"I am wounded!" He lands his hand on his heart, a playful look of sadness on his face. He actually looked upset to you, for a brief moment at least, till you caught on to his joke.

"Boo-hoo! You could have won Mark, you could have won."

At the end of your sentence, you're able to spot your friend in the short distance, they're nearly here.

You three came up with a compromise on what to purchase when they arrived, all three of you decided on the most coolest thing-

...

Bracelets.

Amazing. Spectacular, boring. But a nice keepsake none the less.

Each bracelet was cheaply made (Got to cut corners somewhere-) but still manages to look nice. Each was a fake, silver chain that held spaces for different charms that you could also purchase to add on to them. You all each chose different additions to it. You decided on the ones that looked the most appealing to you such as, a star, an (F/C) flower, and some other random one of your choice. There were a couple more you could choose from, but you wanted to fill the rest of it with better ones you could probably find via online. Your friend also chose an array of things, each in different colors, having the same idea as you, with the lack of charms. Mark decided on a planet, moon, and star.

"Alright now, you can buy whatever." They look pointedly at Mark. They were filled in on the bet. 

He sighs dramatically before taking a proper look at everything, eyes flickering to each item.

He hums to himself as he reflects on his decisions. It takes a minute or two but he finally bought something.

It was a brown teddy bear that had a bowtie below his head, near where its neck would have been if it wasn't squished to its torso. It was pretty adorable, you found it nice. A simple but sentimental gift. Awesome. Upon seeing Mark's choice it was difficult to not let out an aww. That was nice of him, he did not have to but he did. You hug the medium-sized teddy bear, now free from its shelf. It was surprisingly soft, maybe needs a good wash, but other than that, you were happy with it.

"Thank you. Was not expecting this to be honest, but still awesome of you. Thanks, Mark." Your face was practically emitting glee and warmth. You were oddly touched by it, weird but you couldn't help it.

"Of course. I thought you would like something like that." He shared the same joy as you, looking as happy as he did all those nights ago. It was a pleasant moment... Until your friend broke you out of your giddy nonsense.

"We should probably get going, unless you want to join us for dinner?"


	17. (Chapter 16)

Mark ultimately chose to join you both. There was still some day left, and even if it was dark out, the night was still young. He couldn't pass up on bonding with you both more. You all get your wrist stamp checked out before leaving, making sure to grab your bags along the way. You all stepped away from the building, cringing a tad when your eyes adjusted to the orange and pinks that painted the sky in a beautiful hue. Once your eyes get more comfortable with the sight, you catch up to head to your friend's vehicle. Your friend climbs into the front seat and directs you and Mark to put your items in the front passenger seat. You both oblige, you opening the door and grabbing Mark's bag from him, tucking the bag and carry-on next to each other. You decide to keep your stuffed plushie with you, holding it to sit on your lap after buckling up with Mark.

"Are you two ready back there?" Your friend adjusts the rearview mirror to face the direction of both of you and finally turns the key into the ignition getting it alive again.

"Everything's all good to go," Mark replies with a smile and nod.

"Alright, (Y/N)?" Your head snaps up from staring at the bear, and you reply with a nod of confirmation.

With that, the car pulls backward, your friend looking over their seat, and peels off.

The ride wasn't so bad, you kept your focus on either the bear or the outside of the window, taking a break from socializing. Mark did the same thing, sometimes looking at his phone, checking things like social media, or news. As you kept to yourself, you pondered if the information you got from Mark was enough. Discovering he has a youtube channel named Markiplier, which is similar to Mark Iplier, the guy who started that poker night, would surely be good enough...right? From the old papers scanned online and wiki articles, the actor seemed to be someone of an egotistical, bold, guy. This Mark was not any of that, sure the comment here or there, never anything crazy.

...

Then again...He was the one to first approach you? ...This is confusing. Dang, you for overthinking!

...

You made up your mind, if anything more stuck out to you, you'll ask. You don't want to seem like a weirdo. As the car parks in front of some nameless establishment, you unbuckle your seatbelt. You all migrate from the car, grabbing your bags from the passenger side, putting the plush bear in its place. Mark held open the door for you all again, before walking in himself.

Dinner went decently, as usual. It was nice. The drive to Mark's place was a smooth one, with Mark now taking the passenger side to point out his neighborhood. Upon arriving on the property, your friend's jaw dropped looking at his house in a similar way as you did your first visit.

"Yeah, truly a sight it is." Mark joked to break the silence that once filled the car. Your friend wordlessly nodded in agreement. "Anyway, thank you for the drive, kind of you. Have a good night guys." He looked over his passenger seat to share with you a warm smile, before doing the same to your friend. He opens the door and with that, he shimmies the bag of his over his shoulder, and walks to his front door which he unlocks and enters, the door closing behind him.

As Mark was about to close the door your friend was able to respond, still in surprise, starstruck, "Yeah! Thanks for inviting us on the outing! You're welcome! We will."

After a beat of watching the scene unfold, you crack it, "(BF/N)? You good?"

They turned to look at you, giving you a look of 'why have you never told me this?' before starting to drive away, heading back to the hotel.

You're now both walking through the quiet, carpeted, hall to your guy's room number.

Suddenly, making sure to keep their voice down, in case people were sleeping or something, they say, "Had no idea Mark's home was that nice, I mean, you told me a bit about it, but I was never aware!" Your friend is practically shining with excitement over this.

You shrugged, rubbing the back of your neck nonchalantly. "Yep, that's what his house is. To be honest, it was quite shocking. I had no idea about it either."

"Still amazing...Though.." Their demeanor shifted, uh oh. "What was up with you? Back at the arcade? You seemed...On edge? Look whatever the case, you just seemed off, distant?"

You move your gaze, that once faced (BF/N), to the patterned floor. You sigh to yourself before going for the honest route, at least, as much transparency as possible. "To be honest...I don't know. It was like...Deja vu?"

Your friend looked unimpressed, a small frown overtaking the lower portion of their face, "I asked Mark about it, he's not as oblivious as you think. Look, my brain may be a bit foggy but that night, at the bar? The way you passed out? To be quite honest, I'm not sure how you didn't hurt your head or anything. Not only that but the weird letters? The look on your face from earlier? Hell, your reaction to us planning on visiting the manor? Something seems off with you."

You couldn't look at them. You didn't plan for this...crap. Your grip on the teddy bear squeezed the fabric a bit, tenser now from being caught. "Everything's fine. Just been a weird week I guess. The concern is appreciated, but I can assure you, nothing's wrong, just been weird being in L.A for this long. I haven't even seen a letter since the day I got that last one." You now lied through your teeth.

Your friend shook their head in disapproval. "Look I get you may feel like you have to go through, whatever it is you're going through alone but-"

"Please." You suddenly interrupted with immediate regret. You follow up with a brief apology. "Sorry, I just. Everythings okay, it was nothing, and hell maybe I was just lucky. Life is full of things that just don't make sense." You unlock the door for you both, holding it open for them as you continue deflecting and pretending that everything was okay. "Again, thank you for being concerned, it's nothing."

Your friend pauses their movements to stare at you, to observe you. "Fine, look I don't want to pry if you're truly against discussing it, but whatever is happening, when you can... Please come to me about it."

_It would be nice too...I can't let you get roped into this all._

"I will, eventually." You make an empty promise.

Your friend shakes their head into a nod. They probably didn't believe you. "It's late, we should probably head to bed." It was only 6:30 pm. You watch them stalk off to their room, closing the door shut behind them. You curse under your breath to yourself at your foolishness, that could have gone better. You lock the door before going to your own room, making sure to kick off your shoes before changing into better clothes. You felt like such an idiot. It was fair for them to worry, you did not blame them one bit, you were acting weird, even if you thought you were doing an epic job. You plop yourself face-first into the pillow, wanting the damn thing to swallow you whole. After a minute or so, throwing yourself a pity party, you swivel yourself to stare up at the ceiling.

_I fucked up_

......

Eventually, you found yourself drifting...

You jolt awake expecting the chill from the void, finding...warmth? Upon opening your eyes, they widened in surprise, there was no void whatsoever, and here you were, on a worn couch, inside the...cabin from all that time ago? This time, thankfully there was no ear-piercing ringing. You sit up, as you were laid on it, and hear the gentle crackle from a fire from your right. You crane your head over to stare at the alit flame before turning to trace your eyes around the place, to see your surroundings. You shift in your seat afterward, turning your eyesight to focus on the fire in front of you. The embers danced through the air, emitted by the lively flames that squiggled around in unpredictable ways. The fire was fueled by the seemingly fresh, chopped wood beneath it. You're startled by your trance when the cushion beside you dipped a bit, creating a small creak from the couch. A low ringing sound became audible with the noise from the fireplace, signifying who it was.

"Dark.." You spoke as a way to start the conversation. You glanced over at the said entity, confused. Part of Dark's silhouette facing the fire, held a slight orange tint to it, that projected onto him. His aura flickered a bit as he spoke smoothly back, as if aware of your questions.

**"Apologies for the sudden change of scenery. I thought it would be more...pleasant, than the void."**

You found yourself smiling gratefully at him, it was definitely better than the abyss...Something was always so unsettling about that place.

"I will admit, this place is most certainly better than that place."

 **"I'd thought so."** You move your orbs back to the fireplace, noticing there was a slight dampen to his usual echoed voice, now that he was nearer. He continued, **"Did you...discover anything?"**

Right. Mark.

"Apparently he does video blogging. He's a YouTuber, by the name of Markiplier." You hunch your shoulders slightly, aware of his distaste towards that particular name. "Before you say anything- I will say it is a little odd but- There is- There is reasoning for it. He claims it's because he's a gaming channel. A combine of his name and multiplayer"

After your explanation, you wait for the worst. Was your information good enough, reasonable, bad? Will he be angry? You have now hung your head, hands intertwined together nervously, you dread the silence.

 **"This is...Interesting. Thank you for collecting such information."** You're caught off guard from his response, searching his expression which gazes at your own. He wasn't mad, his face held no hint of rage. **"Though...It makes sense for him to go by such...He was quite full of himself."** He chuckled a dry laugh.

You lean a bit into the couch, less on edge from Dark's reaction. "It seems like it..." When Dark looked slightly puzzled by your response, you answered "Back then- I mean, from the newspaper articles. Obviously could have been a front though, that's what was said though. I assume you know, er, at least, knew him?"

He nodded as his inky eyes trailing the movements of the dancing fire, **"As you are aware."**

"Yeah..."

The crackle of the scorched log, ringing, and even...howling wind? You turn your head to the window, curious what caused such a thing, did Dark cause that? In addition to the ambiance, he set up? You're stunned by the motion of...snow? Once more, a bemused smile makes way to your face, as you stare through the frosted glass.

There's some time where nothing was said, just enjoying the surroundings.

Nothing lasted long, however.

A thought barreled through your mind...Snapping you from your temporary enjoyment of things. You froze, how could you forget?

"Dark?" You blurted out, unsure of how else to start off your explanation. Out of the corner of your eye, from your stare into the fire, Dark turns to you with a look of intrigue. "You know...The manor? My friend, (BF/N)...They want to take me over there to visit it, even spend the night to celebrate Halloween." You pause before continuing, giving Dark a chance to take it in, maybe even respond. With nothing spoken, you move on, sagging into the couch, embarrassed of yourself as you go on, "I-I...I think they're onto me too...I just...I think I fucked up." The weight of it heaves on your shoulders.

A few seconds pass, as you await his response, just as earlier. You're surprised he hasn't lashed out yet. Instead, you are caught off guard when you feel something wrap around your shoulder. It was...His arm? The 3D exterior around his arm fizzled slightly as it now hung around the back of you. Your eyes widen as you are gently tugged into him. The static that always emitted from him, was much more prominent due to you nearer him. It wavered around you, buzzing, and rested over your clothes and skin, wrapped over it like some sort of blanket. Your face flushes over, this was the last thing you expected. He was never this physically...affectionate? Comforting? Can you call it that? W h a t-

 **"That's...quite the predicament."** You can feel the slight vibration from his chest, even the slight tension of his muscles from your statement, as you rested upon it.

"Y-Yeah." After a beat passes by, your heart beats doubling that from nerves- "I...I just don't...They shouldn't get involved in this, any of this. I...I don't know what to do. You don't live there or anything...do you?"

**"I don't reside in the manor. I used to..** **_.only_ ** **when necessary, mainly for the study...Not anymore though. I doubt your dear friend would encounter me anytime soon. If they get more curious, we'll discuss it. We will come up with a plan to throw them off, and fix things."**

Your mouth curves into somewhat of a frown, mulling over his words. Why did he leave the manor? "I...Okay. Anything will work at this point really." You mumbled back. "I will say, it's good you don't live at that place...That would make things much more complicated." You laugh dully, trying to find some depressing humor from it, to ease your minor stress.

 **"That would be...interesting."** You earned a small smile from him, amused.

"Yeah..."

As time went on, you began to ease into him, it was strange, being together like this, but...oddly nice? Even with the suddenness of it all, maybe even out of the blue, you were able to find...comfort? For the duration of things, you were able to escape the waking world, and breathe, even in these circumstances.

"Thank you." 

You don't see the small upturn of his lips at that.


	18. (Chapter 17)

The rest of your time spent with Dark was nice, and eventually Dark shifted his position, causing you to lean over more into his torso, and into his chest. The energy around him continued to fizzle and move, not alarmingly so however. His aura was more warm, helping you keep your temperature in good condition along with the fire. Dark was the polar opposite. He was always chilled to the bone, not that that bothered him of course. 

You close your eyes as you breath, smelling charred wood, before exhaling, finding peace.

Soon, your eyelids grew heavy, causing you to try to fight against it. You never won those battles. Dark noticed and a short chuckle rumbled from him, making you feel a slight vibration due to it. You were enjoying yourself, maybe finding his actions a bit odd at first, (Being near him in such a way) but they seem well intentioned. You rubbed your eyes with both your forefinger and thumb, somewhat irked. You knew the implications. As you try to resist the urge to yawn, you ask a quick question.

“Will...I ever see you in the real world?” You yawn near the end of your sentence, sadly.

_ Damnit _

**“One day, most likely later rather than sooner, I have...business to attend to, unfortunately.”**

You nodded sleepily in understanding, nearly dozing off entirely. 

**“You should...get some sleep, you look tired.”** He’s glancing down out your head, taking in your movements. 

You murmured incoherently in disagreement, but had to accept your fate. You fell asleep against him.

____________________________________________________________________________

The 29th, you are met with a pleasant surprise. You awoke that morning, checking your notifications, slightly happy from the new message. It was from the archive channel. You tap the DM button, leading to your list of contacts. You read the text, practically holding your breath in anticipation. 

**ArchiveofEras - Great news, I was able to finish everything. Let me know about anything else, if needed.**

Below their text, is a link that leads to the video. Before clicking on the video, you sent a quick text back thanking them for their response, and taking the time to even do anything in the first place. You lean against the wall behind the back of the bed, where the provided pillows laid, and mentally prepare yourself. Who knows what could happen. With one last exhale of air, you tap the link, which queued up your Youtube app. The video was listed as private, not shared to the public yet. The video starts with some static, before the footage takes place, the aged film is fixed up some, to make things more easier to see. The same text is pasted in the corner, along with a headline, an interview taking place. The camera is pointed to a man, wearing a dark grey suit, nearly black. His undershirt is a bright white, and holds a bowtie. The man seems to keep his cane close to him as he waits, holding it as he awaits the person behind the camera’s inquiry. His hair is slicked back, no hair out of place, a kind shine in his eye. What really caught your eye, was the pin he wore, a lovely scribe of cursive of the word, ‘Mayor’, with two dark teal ribbons peering out from underneath the ruffles of fabric surrounding the plastic circle that held the word in it.

“What would you say, would be the reason for your campaigning for the election?” The voice from beyond speaks, that must be Jim, however sounding more professional than what was seen on the last tape. 

The mayor’s voice held an accent to it, his voice reminding you, in a way, of Mark. “Well, there were multiple reasons, but I suppose one that stands out the most...Well, we need to fix things. We need to make a change for the better, not just for you or I, but for everyone else out there.” The video freezes for a moment before resuming to what you would assume, is a later portion of the interview. 

“Who would you say, has been the one who inspired you to pursue this? Do this even?” 

“Of course, my family had a helping hand in it, I suppose. With my upbringing and experiences, but if I truly had to choose one person in particular...It would be my friend, the upcoming district attorney.” He paused for a beat, as if pondering something before continuing, “To be honest, I don’t know what I would do without them. They helped me get this far, after all. I’m honored to have them around.”

_ That must be Damien… _

As you listen to his responses to the questions, your heart feels heavy, sad. The mayor seemed like a good person, from what you have seen, and it doesn’t seem fair what happened. You fail to notice something falling down your face...it slinks down, dripping onto your phone screen. You quickly pause the video, looking curiously at the liquid.

...

_ Tears? _

You bring a hand to your face, gingerly wiping away the salty drops. You move your hand afterward, glancing at it, puzzled. You were sad yes, but enough to result in this? With that, a sudden knock breaks your thoughts, making you scramble to wipe away and excess tears you missed, and turning your phone off.

“Come in.”

Your friend opens the door, sharing a smile to you. They didn’t seem upset at you, which is good? Hopefully? They walk in carrying some bags. You avert your attention from them to the items. “What’s with the bags?”

They plop the plastic grocery bags on your bed, before pulling out a couple things. “I thought it would be helpful if I went out and got some supplies for our trip?” The manor…

Your mouth forms into the shape of an o, in understanding. The materials they laid out were perfect for the outing you two would be going on. There were flashlights, sleeping bags, first aid, a lantern, fake candles, and even...An ouija board? 

“An ouija board?” You voiced, kind of startled by the prospect of bringing one to such a place.

“Yep! We don’t have to use it if you don’t want to, but I thought it would be a nice addition to the spooky ambiance!” They responded excitedly. 

You grin wearily, aware of some odd things in the world, supernatural included, though not much, just it’s existence...Dark probably proved that? You’d have to ask him sometime.

“Alright then. Though...isn't this the start to a horror movie?”

You joke, trying to ease the tension you held. 

“Not if we do it right. Don’t worry when we get there, I’ll explain the rules.” You nod in reply, a silence settling over the two of you. 

You are eventually the one that sparks up a new convo, “When will we be leaving?”

“Probably tomorrow, it takes a fair bit to drive over there, it is secluded after all.” They inform. You nod, mentally noting it. “Alright. Thank you, for all of this, you didn't have to, but you did, so...Thank you.” You grin appreciatively at them. It was nice of them to get all this stuff, do any of this at all. 

They dismiss it, but you don't fail to acknowledge their glee brightening. After some more talking, your friend finally leaves, and you are left with more of the interview left. Once you feel the coast is clear, you press the continue button, only a bit of it was left. 

“If you don’t mind me asking, what is with the cane and ribbon? Even if it’s not confirmed, you're going to be helping with running this town?”

A fond look crosses his features, a small chuckle leaving him as he begins, “Well, they were gifted to me by my friend, the DA. Both in celebration for the beginnings of my entrance into all this. The cane was from our graduation, they gifted it to me, to help me ‘stand out from the other candidates’, they’re words not mine. The pin was given to me when I was given this opportunity to run for office. Something to where if I ever was fortunate enough to win this.”

With that, the clip cuts out, and you're left with a black screen. The video has come to an end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if any grammer is off, I did not proofread-


	19. (Chapter 18)

You couldn’t shake the video out of your head. Something about it stuck with you, from the mayor’s kind words, or how this was all something that occurred before the poker night, or that somehow, everything led to..all this. It made it difficult to focus whilst you packed later that day. You found yourself staring blankly down at the necessities you had in a bag you planned on bringing with you. The bag was sprawled up on your bed, not zipped yet. It held the first aid kit, a blanket, flashlight, and whatever you deemed important enough to drag with you on the trip tomorrow. 

When you finally arrived from your room, ready to face the day earlier that morning, your friend discussed more details of the trip, refining things. You were both going to leave the next morning, around 9:00, due to the length of the car ride that would lead to the run down-home. With the cocktail of emotions from the video, you also found yourself nervous about what was to come. Your friend was onto enough, not oblivious, and was suspicious. One wrong action and you would be screwed. No spacing out or freezing for you. You just hoped this wouldn’t cause much trouble. If there was one thing that would be helpful, if you did make it to the Manor, you may be able to uncover something, find another piece in this huge puzzle. Who knows.

Your door was left ajar, in case you needed anything. A knock on the doorframe brought you back to reality. You shift your attention to the sound, finding your friend moving open the door to step a bit inside. 

“What’s up?” You greet, curious as to what they wanted to talk about, or what they needed.

“Just came to see if you were prepared for tomorrow. That's all you bringing?” The gesture to your still open bag.

You shrug, making a sound of being indecisive. “Not sure. Do you think it’s good enough?” you nudge the carrier to them. They look down at it, as if analyzing it, before humming.

“It doesn’t look that bad, we will probably be in the same clothes as we dress in tomorrow, so no need to pack anything. I think. Unless you feel like changing in the car?” They chuckle.

“Definitely not.” You laugh back. “Yeah...The only good thing is that it’s a lot easier to pack and carry a bag than whole luggage.”

They nod in agreement, “For real.”

A short silence settles over, and after a bit, your friend looks like they are about to say something. They decide against it, and just say, “Well, I’ll leave you to it then.”

“Alright.”

The door swings back to how it was, not closing, however. 

You are left once more with your own thoughts.

____________________________________________________________________

You find yourself floating...Waiting for the voids chilled claws to drag you down into it.

  
  


Nothing.

Your vision turns bright, for a moment, causing you to clamp your eyes shut, in an effort to not let the light blind you more than it has. After a few seconds, it subsides, and you slowly creep them open again. 

This was not the void, nor the cabin. This was somewhere else entirely. 

Your shoes leave a pitter-patter sound as you race down a string of sidewalk, flickering your gaze from left to right as you search around in a panic. It seemed like a normal dream for the first few seconds until it dawned on you…

You had no control, not only that....But Dark was nowhere in sight.

You internally began to panic, as you viewed someone’s actions through your eyes. Confused would be the last word you would use. 

_ What the absolute hell? WhA- _

It took you a few seconds until you felt a bump at your hip. Your ‘instincts’ kick in and you adjust the strap, as you continue to search for...a building? Maybe? There were a couple 4 story buildings around the area you were in, it kind of reminded you of (H/T), but there was some difference, it kind of reminded you of your old highschool...a campus of some sort? Or maybe some of those advertisements on different colleges in an attempt to convince you to join them?

…

Was this a college campus? As you try to take in your surroundings your vision decides to have other plans, instead focusing on an old, well-worn watch, that hangs snugly on your wrist around your dominant hand. You have a difficult time reading the numbers written on the watch, mainly due to the fact the watches numbers held roman numerals instead of normal numbers you would usually see. From what you could recall about clocks...It seemed to be around 9:30? Maybe? You didn’t get the chance to concentrate on the clock any longer as you glanced away from it, your arm moving to grasp your bags strap, as if preparing for something, before picking up a pace to reach the double doors of a building in front of you. You use your shoulder to open the door, as you use the other hand, one that was not keeping the strap at bay, to open your satchel, looking down every so often as you rummage through it, stopping to pull out a piece of paper with a schedule scribbled on it. ‘You’ mumble under your breath, repeating the words from the paper, a welcome assembly tour at...9:40?

It takes you a few seconds after eavesdropping with interest...You feel yourself freeze, not the body you were inhabiting but how you felt…

Was that your...Your voice?

_ What...Why? How…? _

You couldn’t believe it, nor understand. Unfortunately, things moved on, and ‘you’ continued moving forward down the nearly empty halls, only some people here and there. Almost to the meeting area. You come to a stop in front of the polished wood door, and take a deep breath, steeling yourself, as you turn the knob, and enter. 

It was a wide, spacious room, bright with natural light flooding through the windows that littered the walls. There was a semi huge crowd of multiple students, some hanging out by themselves, or striking up conversations with friends. You awkwardly step in, walking over to one of the walls where there were less people. 

During the break of wondering about, you were finally able to rethink and reflect everything. Many questions burned through your mind.

_ Was that my voice? If so why? Why is this dream like this? Where’s Dark? Should I be concerned? What- _

“Hey there.” A voice came from in front of you, this seemingly startling you, making you jump at the sudden interaction. You felt the heat radiating off from your face, as you looked up at the person.

If you could lose your breath somehow, you totally would. It was like a punch to the gut, there standing in front of you…

Damien, the same person from that recording. 


	20. (Chapter 19)

_It’s just a dream. Just a dream. Everything’s fine...It has to be. This isn’t right, nothing is- Wheres Dark-_

You stared at him, taking him in. He wasn’t wearing the suit, nor held a cane with him. He just wore a button up with a vest, kind of similar to your work dress code. There was a tie tucked underneath the black colored fabric that made up the vest, a deep navy color, lacking any stripes or pattern, if there was, it was minimal. There was a bit of stubble that lined his chin and upper lip under his nose, but was well kept to keep short to a point. His black locks were folded over his forehead, the same updo seen in the footage. His eyes...Still held that shine in them, bouncing from the bright lights, and into his umber eyes.

A look of brief concern wafted over his expression, due to startling you earlier…

Right.

“My apologies, I didn’t mean to disturb you.” His voice was gentle, warm.

You shifted your stance a bit, bringing your shoulders to a small, nonchalant shrug. “No! No...It’s alright. No need to apologise.” Your voice echoed back a response, you tried to smile reassuringly, back at him.

He studied you for a moment, as if trying to read you. After this he replies, “If you're sure...May I?” He gestured to the open space on your left side, asking for permission to stand by you.

_What the actual frick-_

“If you want. Feel free to go on right ahead.”

He takes a few steps, striding to the wall to then turn away from it, to lean against it.

“What brings you here?” His sudden inquiry causes you to face him, swiveling your head to look at him, he was looking back.

“Nothing too interesting, to be honest, Just felt this was the right place, I guess. You?”

“Likewise. The opportunities simply were convincing enough.” He didn’t go on further for a moment, a small fond look over taking his features as he dragged his eyes to the crowd that was sporadically divided. He finally turned to you, “I think I made the right choice, life with its decisions and such...Anyway, enough about me, anything you majoring in?”

Your face drifts down, staring at the shiny floor that reflects the fluorescent lighting that helped illuminate the room. You hesitate, before coming up with an answer.

Whoever you were viewing seemed...nervous? Why?

“I was pondering...Criminal...Justice.” Your last words were more mumbled out than anything. It seemed ‘you’ were afraid of his reaction, quickly pinning on an afterthought, “I know it’s quite strange, some person like I, but...I...I want to.”

Another pause, which gave you time to mull over their conversation. It ‘felt’ strange...something nagged at you, constantly, since you landed your eyes onto him...about everything really…

_What...Somethings here I know it is..._

You were brought down from your blazing confusion, by Damien’s voice. “That’s quite incredible.” At your sudden jerk of your head with the surprised expression, he elaborates. “I mean, not everyones willing to do something like that, it’s difficult to find nowadays, I suppose...I...It’s admirable.”

His words sunk in...All you heard was, “Thank you.”

Before the conversation was able to continue forward, the meeting began, and it was time for you to…

Wake up.

____________________________________________________________________________

You gasp for air, as the alarm blares it’s ringtone that would certainly stick with you minutes afterwards. You shot up, and on autopilot turned off the alarm, dismissing it. It took a minute to stabilize your breathing, before it hit you. You can move on your own, your okay...right?

_Shit...What the hell was that. Where was Dark? Why such a ‘normal’ dream? Why anything? What-_

You check the phone's time, 8:00, trying to momentarily push aside everything, you need to prepare to go to the manor with (BF/N) and if they see you like this...It will make things worse. You have to, you need to. You scowl at the time, cursing at it, wishing you woke up earlier, or maybe that that didn’t happen at all...but...this means something.

You're not quite sure yet however.

You bring your other arm to rub your eyes, as the other holding the device, places it atop the table. You force yourself out of bed, moving to grab clothes you would be wearing. You need to get ready for this. Fake it til you make it, then you can figure out what the hell that dream was. As you step over to your closet, a note catches your eyes, making you halt, to look at it.

From the inks handwriting, it was Dark.

_My Dear,_

_To start, I apologize for the intrusion, something wasn’t right last night. You never appeared. It was quite...off-putting, to say the least. Whatever the case may be, however, I do hope your...escapade to the manor goes well. Please be cautious, I do hope to see you again, whenever you can._

_Be well…_

_D_

A small smile pulls your lips upwards, feeling a slight warmth in your face and chest by the fact he may have been a bit concerned...Even if it probably was for an underlying factor with...Mark. It still was nice, oddly so. You tucked the note in your satchel, thinking it would be nice to keep there, and started to get ready, not only to face on the day, but to face the manor.

You open the door to take on everything.

_Here we go..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope nothing seemed out of character or weird, my writing was slipping from me, and it was kind of hard to write? I'm not sure, things come and go. Hope you all like it somehow though. Thank you for taking the time to read all of this, it truly means a lot.
> 
> Thank you all.


	21. (Chapter 20)

The dream continues to linger in the depths of your mind as you watch the scenery blur by. You and your friend finally made it out onto the road, with everything packed in the back of the car. You both stopped earlier by some food joint, to get fueled for the long road ahead. You were already out of L.A by that point...

_“That's quite admirable, difficult to find…”_

Damien’s words play on loop, whispering every so often. The dream had stuck with you, after something like that, it was difficult to shake. You try to shove the voice, the weird clash of emotions, away. Tuck it away in a box.

...

They always rise to the surface.

You find yourself sighing quietly, slightly frustrated, but making sure your friend won’t notice. You try to focus on something besides the winding road, choosing to read the clock's time. It read around 1:00. It had only been a couple of hours by that point since you both set foot on the road.

“Isn't it exciting?” Your friend suddenly asked, referring to the manor. They were the first to speak up since they started the classic road-trip playlist around half an hour ago.

You were thankful for the distraction, letting your mind drift to the manor. In some aspects, you suppose it is, even if terrifying all the same. The manor had something sinister there...After all, Dark was created there. “I guess, it is a little scary though. That place has been around for years, right?” You pin on a question at the end of your statement.

“Yep! Supposedly since the 1930s? Allegedly...people went missing there, after some kind of party? And nobody really has occupied it since.” You're barely able to hide your already known knowledge, your lack of reaction, but are able to recover by opting for a look of fake surprise to mask your neutral expression.

“Really?” You look over, raising your eyebrows for added effect.

_I suck at this..._

“Yep!” With your friends' gaze on the road the whole time, they didn't get to read your reactions too deeply and did not think anything of it. “Anyway, what if there is something there leftover from the past?”

All you could do was shrug, you had no clue yourself, “Not sure, maybe? I got no idea.”

“Exactly! No time like uncovering something like the present!”

“I suppose.”

You could only hope things would go well…

____________________________________________________________________________

The sun began to set, disappearing behind the trees that littered the landscape around you

both. It was now long since what it was. You both would eventually stop at a small diner to eat some late lunch and now here you both were, nothing but the tunes playing from the playlist. It was nice, something kind of normal for once. You need to savor it while you could.

You yawn, feeling somewhat sleepy from the gentle beats of one of the more calmer songs on the playlist, mixed with the tires rolling across the road, you were able to close your eyes, lulled to sleep by it.

_Quick flashes, filtering in one after another, images._

_Rain, standing underneath an umbrella._

_A room, perhaps a classroom._

_A cane, a pin._

_A watch._

_A fireplace._

_A library._

_It’s all sudden, sporadic, fading in one after another, like lightning, for seconds until it's gone._

It’s jarring.

You are suddenly awoken by a particularly harsh bump in the road, a pothole. You groan in discomfort, from your head that hit the top of the window sill, the place you rested your head against.

“Shit, sorry.” Your friend apologizes with haste.  
“Not your fault.” You stretch your limbs straight forward as much as you could, stiff from how you had them tucked close to you.

You took a moment to take in the time that passed. It was now dark out, the moon faintly gleaming through the trees and clouds. The road was deserted by this point, barely anyone. The tunes from the music app played quietly, the volume was cranked down, presumably from your friend recognizing your nap.

After a beat, and with some hesitation you ask, “Are we...Are we there yet?”  
“Nearly, we got a bit more to go though. I'd recommend you wake up.”  
All you did was nod, your head still sore.

You felt your nerves began to amplify the closer you made it to where you both had to park…

You can practically feel your heart skip a beat when you hear those dreaded words…your palms getting sweaty.

“We’re here.”

Your friend turns the ignition off, cutting out the music and the engine. It was eerily silent, besides the slight breeze that was hushed because of you being confined in the vehicle. Your friend steps out first going outside to check out the front of the manor. You hear a faint whistle, your friend seeming starstruck outside the car. You haven't even looked out the window, nor got out of the car, the weird feeling, heavy on your mind, your chest.

You take a deep breath, preparing yourself for your undeniable doom, and open your eyes, scanning the car, one last time, before stepping out.

Upon you exiting the automobile, your friend turns to you, with stars shining in their eyes. You don't acknowledge them immediately, your attention is taken away by the humongous home in front of you, the one that had been empty for nearly decades. It felt like your breath got taken from you, and a sudden image takes a hold of your mind.

_Everything was fine. Everything was not crumbling by the sands of time, rotting away, in fact, it looked incredible. The oak doors were clean, and shown with the fading sunset that set behind you. The pathway was free of dirt, grim, not weathered by the storms that washed away its grey tint._

_Everything was full of life._

You flinch by the sudden waving of a hand in front of your vision interrupting the vision away from you. Your friend’s concerned expression is now blocking the manor.

The look in their gaze said enough, “S-Sorry.” You stumble a bit over your words, as you quickly hold yourself together again. “Shall we?” You gesture to the oversized house, it still loomed over.

With a reluctant sigh of disapproval towards your actions, they nod, before walking towards the car, to grab the flashlights for you both.

You stayed rooted, still taking a moment to take in the old place. A weird feeling settled within you, it was just as un-comforting as it was around Dark, during those occasional...Moments. Though, this time, it made you feel...Different. It was a strange feeling...You're not sure how to describe it. Though…

Deja vu mayhaps?

You shake your head to yourself, hoping it would push everything aside. Your friend taps your arm, and hands you a brand new flashlight, already with its batteries.

Your friend decides to go in before you, eager to explore.

After a beat, you yourself, start to near the cracked doors, that were somewhat ajar due to your friend. You push it open yourself, caught off guard by how, even with how aged everything was, it was oddly beautiful. The home was well decorated, certain objects broken, sure, along with a layer of dust, and grim, but...was nice. You were fascinated by everything, even if somewhat cautious by the odd emotions swirling in your gut. The place must have been so grand. Your captivated gaze is broken when you see your friend standing by a twisting staircase that leads to the upper level, nearly observing every detail. You turn to them, walking over.

Your friend caught your stare, and beams, “Is this place incredible or what?!” Your friend was giddy, practically overjoyed.

There was no trace of their worry. It made you happy to see them like this. They were always a fan of this type of thing, you hardly could blame them.

A grin cracks your face, “I suppose so.” You give a small nod of agreement.

“How bout this! I’ll go get the materials so we can set up camp by the front room, and you can go check upstairs while I do? Or just explore?”  
All you could do was shrug, and it wasn't an awful plan, even if it was, perhaps, a bit rushed. “Whateves you say.”

With that, your friend was out of sight, and you were left temporarily alone. Your hand trails the worn, wood, railing, and uses a bit of pressure, seeing if it would wiggle, and be loose. It wasn’t, though was a bit creaky. You take a cautious foot up the first step or two, making sure it can hold your weight, before going up them entirely. You keep your palm against the railing, in case you were to trip. Before you know it, you made it. You walk over to the middle of the hallway and face the banister. Down below is the foyer to your right, nearly out of your view. Down below, shows the bottom of the staircase, and you can see a bit of the foyer, even with how spacious the house was. After looking down it, you turn and see some doors that were closed. Perhaps they lead to the bedrooms? You move towards one that was a bit further down the hall, you felt attracted towards it. Would this be a good idea?

…

You made it this far.

You gingerly grasp the dirty doorknob, and turn it, having some difficulty due to the age of it. Once you are able to get a good turn out of it, you slowly push in the door, opening it to peek inside. You are met with a short hallway, that leads further into the bedroom, on the right of you, there's an entrance to the bathroom, from the small visibility you have from how open the door is. You stop short by the bathroom door frame, a bit hesitant to venture on.

_Is this the right thing? It’s abandoned sure...but…_

You look into the bathroom, pointing your beam of light at it. Nothing was there.

Paranoid as always…

You turn back to the main room in front of you...it takes a bit of debating but...you made your choice.

Curiosity killed the cat though. You had to be cautious about this. You feel a bit of guilt, seeping into your stomach, coming from your upper body, and dropping down below. You were tense, and had to bite back a yelp from a slight noise from the floorboards, the house settling...right?

You halt your footsteps when in front of the large bed. It along with the whole room really was ripped apart, it was an absolute mess. Probably because of people who came out here beforehand. It seemed logical. You find the curtains were open, even if the beam holding them upright was a bit sagged. The once beige color that was on them looked dirty and were dusty, but that was to be expected. You turn towards the end of the room, where there was a slight step that led to what looked to be a table, being held up by 3 legs that curled in on themselves. Beside the table, across from one another were two seats, cushioned, and ripped. You focus on the table, noticing something...odd? There were glass shards sprawled out against the stained wood, some even on the floor around and under it. There looks to be bits and pieces of a broken frame, something that would hold a photo. There lying in it…Was a shredded part of the photo, what once was of it. You lean closer to it, using your light to help you get a better view of it. Your eyes widen in surprise, quite shocked by what you were realizing.

It was a photo, black in white, of the actor, who looked smiling and laughing in the image, his happiness frozen in time, someone who once was, alive. It looked to be a part of another section of the image, you could tell by the cane that sliced through the outfit he was wearing.

A robe.

You're still stunned by what you found that you are startled by your friend’s shout for you, asking if you were okay.

You lack any idea of what to respond with but settle with, “I...I’m all good!”

Your friend responds with a simple “Okay just wanted to make sure!” Unaware of what you have just found.

A piece of the puzzle. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy this new chapter. Apologies for the long wait, life has been hitting hard lol, nevertheless I want this story to be the best it can be, and I want you all to enjoy it. Thank you for sticking along this long. Big preesh to all of you. I truly mean the world to me.


	22. (Chapter 21)

You didn’t move from your spot immediately, doing a search to see if there was any more part of the frame or the photo itself. You had to hurry up though, your friend probably expecting you downstairs by now. You pan your flashlight under and around the small area, hoping you can find anything else…

Damnit...

You scowl, when you ultimately discover nothing from your brief scan of the side of the room. When you get the chance to, you need to see if anything else is here. You step out of the room, gently shutting the door behind you. You walk over to the railing to peer over it before heading downstairs, curious to how the setup of your camping spot is. From what you could see, the sleeping bags were laid out, with some of the LED candles already switched on and illuminating the space spread out around it, as well you see the faint shine of the lantern, which brightened up everything the most in a golden orange hue.

A small curve of your lips uprises, your mood lightening up a bit, it was like that fireplace. You shake it off when you go downstairs and over to one of the sleeping bags that was closer to the stairs, seeing as (BF/N) had not claimed it. You turn your flashlight off as you near the area, as there was no need for it. Your friend was putting the final touches on the middle between your sleeping quarters. There were 4 LED candles set evenly around the Ouija board. Upon noticing the board, you silently cringe a bit. You doubt anything would happen, but it was always a possibility.

Your friend notices you when they hear the sound of the sleeping bag rustling as you sit on it, taking a moment to chill before either exploring more or...dealing with the board.

“Hey! Find anything cool up there?” Your friend beams.

You pause, wondering if you should bring attention to the photo, you didn’t see much harm in it...Besides they were way more invested into all this...After all, it was only a photograph, nothing groundbreaking or too important...You go for it. “Actually...Yeah. It was a photo of a guy in a robe. Maybe the owner? I dunno for sure.” You continue to play dumb.

“The actor?! For real!?” Their jaw unhinges, pleasantly surprised by what you said.

“Yeah, I can show it to you, or bring it to you? Maybe? I don't want to break the frame anymore than it is though-”

“It was broken?” Your friend was slightly thrown off by that, again though, it could have been the age of it, whoever was here before hand...What if it was Dark? The question slips your mind quickly as you give a reply.

“Yeah, the frame was smashed to bits, glass everywhere really. Not to mention the torn edges of the photo itself. Not sure why it was like that.”

“Huh. Well we can see it later. I was just curious, besides I think this may be more important.” They wave their hand over the board laid between you both.

“Oh.” You mumble, a bit hesitant. Upon noticing your discomfort, and slight pull back from the conversation, your friend responds.

“We don’t have to if you don’t want to! Like I said, you have a choice here. I won’t force you to do anything.”

There's a short silence that takes over the room. You look down at the board...The board was brand new, the letters delicately carved and inked a deep black. There are patterns and wavy lines that form the border of it, the planchet is beside it. In the corners beside the yes and no, there is a sun and moon, the sun has a face, while the moon is a crescent, but specks that are stars float by it. The planchet is made of the same wood, but in the middle is a crystal clear glass, meant for you to help see the letters, numbers, and the yes or no. You put your hand out, with intent to grab the main piece, but halt your movement, when you think over the pros and cons of this…

Anything can happen, we could get answers maybe, but what if we encounter something bad? Should I? Is this right?

“(Y/N), we don’t have to-”

“I...I’m willing to try...at least once?” You interrupt.

After observing your reaction for a moment, they nod, “Alright, but if things get too much, feel free to let me know.” Their expression is much more serious now, they won’t take anything lightly.

“Okay…” You wring your hands, a bit nervous, before taking a deep breath, and exhaling. You meet their gaze, and nod. “Okay.” You felt a tiny bit more collected than prior.

“Okay. Now before we start we need to make some ground rules here. We should keep our hands on the planchet at all times, and make sure to say goodbye properly at the end of it. We should…” They continue on about the rules. You listen intently, with the hope that you would not forget anything.

“As long as we say goodbye after each spirit, we should be fine.” They finish off their speech, with what to do at the end, again. They reach down and grab the piece, and bring it over to the board, placing it down with care. After, they rest both hands on it, with a few of their fingers dangling on it, their palms not on it. You copy their movements, and after a few seconds, you both move it in a circle, beginning the first session.

“Is there anyone who would like to speak with us tonight?” Your friend's voice is strong, piercing the air.

You both stop moving the planchet, awaiting any kind of life.

The short time span that it took, just waiting, felt like forever. You wondered if there was nothing here, surprising because there probably should be something here considering-

It suddenly glided across the board, slow but moving, to the right side of it...to a yes. You thought your heart would beat right out of your chest. The gravity of the situation taking hold. You refuse to back down, it was just starting.

From what you see from your friend, you can tell they are taken aback by the outcome, but still remain composed. “What is your name?”

Whatever, whoever it was, did not have anything to say for a moment, until it dragged across the board to the letter I.

I...it halts again, as if there is a space between the words. It moves to H.

Than A

V

E

Another delay.

It moves to the no corner, then maneuvers over to another string of letters.

N

A

M

E

I have no name.

At this point you're just bewildered, it has no name? Quite odd, but not completely outlandish.

“You have no name?” Your friend voices their feelings, sounding puzzled themselves.

Same here (BF/N), same here.

They don't continue to talk, waiting for more communication. Upon nothing further, they continue on to their next query.

“What are you?”

It sluggishly slithers across the board, and as it spells out, you feel your blood run cold.

H O U S E

…

Was this…

This…

The Manor?

That...can it? You raise your head from looking down at the floor between you both, immediately darting your eyes around the room you were in, to you it felt colder, and that the walls that were not glowing from your electronics, were so...so much darker than they should be.

It brought you back to the void...Empty...Absolute nothing.

Upon seeing your expression, they make a small sound to catch your attention. You shot your head in their direction, still on edge. They don’t say anything out loud, but give you a pointed look, practically asking if you were okay and wanted to continue.

You nod a yes. You need to.

“Where are you?” Your friend's voice remains the way it has been for the last two questions, though you could hear the slight fluctuation hidden.

E

V

E

R

Y

W

H

E

R

E

Everywhere.

At this, you internally begin to panic...It could be a spirit fucking around with you, maybe? But still, it was surreal actually getting responses from this board. Even if you had some experience with the supernatural. You felt you had to take this...thing with some weight.

The darkness out of the corner of your eyes feels like it's creeping further…

As you're about to speak, the planchette moves in a...quite frankly strange way. It goes from corner to corner, left to right, up, down… circles, turns, twists.

Your friend looks on in awe for a few seconds until it sets in. your friend shoves the planchet to the goodbye, and says it with it, voice stern.

“Goodbye.”

Nothing moves after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What are all your thoughts on this chapter? I'm curious. Feel free to leave feedback, it means a lot. Hope this chapter was okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, hope you were able to enjoy the story to the best of your ability. As mentioned in the description, this was written around the start of 2019 end of 2018. Updates may be sporadic and the most recent chapter was from Jan. 3rd (Back when chapter 16 was made) if that helps put some perspective on things. 
> 
> Please feel free to leave feedback, I want this story to be the best it can be. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Hope you all have a lovely day.


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